


only words to protect

by serenityandtea



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst and Feels, Asexual Character, Battle of Hogwarts, Established Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Muggle Nick, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Polyamory, Side Harry/Niall, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-21 09:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10682139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenityandtea/pseuds/serenityandtea
Summary: Hogwarts AU in which Hogwarts really isn't the safest place in the Wizarding World any more, Louis and Liam just want the war to be over already, and Nick thinks he's sending them off to boarding school.“Hey, c’mon,” Louis whispers, and presses his nose against Liam’s cheek so the boy looks at him. “We’ve managed before, and we’ll manage again, all right? It’s just three months, and then we’ll come back to visit, yeah?”Nick hums in agreement. “Besides, it’s not like you’re going off to war or summat. It’s just school. You’ll barely have time to miss me. It’s me that’s gonna be sitting here pining for you lot while you two have the time of your lives. God, I wish I was still seventeen and in secondary. That was the life.”





	only words to protect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lgbtqplusliam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbtqplusliam/gifts).



> I'm not exaggerating when I say that I screamed from happiness when I got my prompts, so thank you! This is literally all I ever wanted to write. I tried to combine all three of your prompts because I thought that would somehow work and I hope you enjoy it! I also tried to keep it as low on the angst as possible, but it's still a war so it's not all rainbows and unicorns (there is, however, one mention of a unicorn!).
> 
> [Zee](http://fionastyles.tumblr.com), thank you for the skype calls in the middle of the night, for helping me do endless research, for getting distracted with me during that research and finding some true 90s tunes, for telling me I was a terrible person for all the angst-filled ideas I had (it's because of you that Narry stays alive through this), and for coming up with the title because I lack any and all creativity.
> 
> [Victoria](http://welcometothefinalshow), thank you for making sure there was actually punctuation in here and for telling me what worked and what didn't work. In the words of Harry Styles: you're amazing.
> 
>  **Warning:** This fic takes place during a war; there's references to torture and minor character death. I figure it's nothing that J.K. Rowling didn't write herself, but if it's not your cup of tea, then please be warned! Although all the characters are of age (17) and above the age of consent in England (16), there is a slight age difference between Liam and Nick. After writers have been revealed, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about this if you'd like to know more before you read it!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not the boys, not their families, not the Harry Potter universe, and definitely not any of the songs mentioned in the fic. If I did, my life would be a whole lot more interesting. For the last few scenes, I stole some dialogue from J.K. Rowling.
> 
> Now that that's all said, enjoy!

**only words to protect**

If fifteen-year-old Louis could see current nineteen-year-old Louis now, clinging to another person in a public setting with his eyes slightly glassy, he would have smacked older him around the head. After all, he used to be so sure he had more dignity than this.

Yet, here he is, his face firmly tucked against Nick’s chest so he could breathe in the man’s scent one last time, his arms wrapped tightly around Nick’s waist. They’re almost in the same position as the night they’d met, except that Louis is most definitely not pissed this time and there’s no loud club music pumping through his body. He’s also trying very hard not to cry. There’s a suspicious itchy feeling between his eyes, and if he doesn’t let go within thirty seconds, tears might potentially start falling.

“C’mon love,” Nick whispers in his ear, his hands softly rubbing up and down his back. “You’ve got a train to catch.”

“Don’t care,” Louis mumbles against fabric. Every inhalation smells like cigarette smoke; like the chicken curry they’d had last night; like Nick’s cologne; like comfort and memories and _them_. He should’ve nicked a shirt while Nick was still asleep this morning, just so he won’t have to go without the smell that is distinctively Nick for the next three months or so.

“Lou, we really have to go soon.”

A different hand is placed on his lower back and Louis leans into it. Liam’s voice is soft but Louis catches the little wobble in there, the way the words sound almost raw, and he lets go with a little sigh. Nick gives him a shaky smile and Louis laughs quietly, tapping Nick on his chest once.

“Love you, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Nick replies softly.

The three of them are hidden away next to some stairs, the bustling crowd of King’s Cross Station moving past them but not paying them any mind. The Disillusionment Charm Liam cast over them ten minutes ago is still in place and they’ve blended in perfectly with the background, their backpacks leaning against the wall probably raising the most suspicion.

Louis sticks his hands in Liam’s front pocket, grabbing some notes while the boy is pressed up against Nick. “I’m just gonna grab some snacks for the trip, you stay right where you are.”

Liam turns his head at that, his curls dangerously close to poking Nick in the eye. “Lou, we only have-“

“-fifteen minutes, yes, I know. I’ll be quick. You go snog his face off, or summat. Just be done when I’m back.”

He rushes off then, quickly ducking into Waitrose to grab a few bags of Walkers, some granola bars, and some discounted Christmas chocolates and mince pies. Niall will thank him later.

Trying to fit everything into his hands and trying not to bump into people at the same time turns out to be quite the challenge. By the time he’s made it back to the other two, Liam’s nut bar is limply dangling from his fingers.

There’s also only ten more minutes on the clock.

When he tells Liam, the other boy whines into Nick’s neck. “No.”

Louis then hears him inhale on a sob. Even after four months of late-night tears shed out of frustration and pain and helplessness, Louis still doesn’t know how to handle his boyfriend crying. He can’t even do anything, because he’s got his hands full. Nick is making quiet shushing noises, his hands stroking over Liam’s back. his forehead pressed against the other boy’s. When Louis looks up at him, Nick looks just as lost as he feels right now, so he just shrugs. It’s not like he’s any better at this.

“You’ll write us, won’t you?” Louis hears Liam sniffle against Nick’s neck a few seconds later.

“Every single week, until you get sick of me,” Nick promises. Louis highly doubts that will ever happen, because Nick’s letters are their little beacons of light and hope in the darkness that was once the safest place in the Wizarding World. He’s not sure they could actually _do_ without Nick’s terrible handwriting these coming weeks.

“I’m just gonna miss you so much,” Liam says with a tiny voice and Louis can barely hear him over the chatter around them. He moves a little bit closer, pressing himself against Nick’s side. “So much.”

“Hey, c’mon,” Louis whispers, and presses his nose against Liam’s cheek so the boy looks at him. “We’ve managed before, and we’ll manage again, all right? It’s just three months, and then we’ll come back to visit, yeah?”

Nick hums in agreement. “Besides, it’s not like you’re going off to war or summat. It’s just school. You’ll barely have time to miss me. It’s me that’s gonna be sitting here pining for you lot while you two have the time of your lives. God, I wish I was still seventeen and in secondary. That was the life.”

“You’re twenty-two, you twat. Don’t act like it’s been eons since you went to school.”

It’s then that an announcement rings through the station, and the three of them fall quiet, Liam just hiccupping every few seconds. No one shows any signs of moving anytime soon and Louis sighs.

“Fine. I’ll be the adult here then.” He presses the food into Liam’s hand before he wraps his arms around Nick one last time. “I’ll see you for the Easter break, yeah? Please don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.”

“I promise I’ll try not to,” Nick grins. “Have fun at school. Behave yourself.”

“Excuse you. I’m always on my best behaviour, Nicholas.”

 _When I’m not taking part in meetings of a secret, student organisation, trying to tweak spells to make them even better, or spending more time cleaning scorched kettles with Filch than actually brewing stuff in them,_ Louis thinks sheepishly. Apart from that, they might as well have made him Head Boy by now with how behaved he is. 

Merlin knows he’d be a lot better suited for the job than Zabini.

Louis is dreading every single minute of the countdown, the clock now showing five to eleven. He’s never been less ready to go back.

“-and keep an eye on Lou for me, yeah?”

Louis glares at Nick. He’ll keep an eye on Liam, not the other way around, thank you very much.

“I will. Love you,” Liam replies dutifully and with one last squeeze, he lets go of Nick and straightens his shoulders. Louis hands him his backpack and then, with one last wave over their shoulders, they make their way through the ticket barrier, glancing over their shoulders until they’re sure Nick has left.

“Do we still have time to call in and request a song?” Liam asks as they’re dashing past all the people on their way to work, platform nine coming closer with every second.

“Afraid not. Unless you don’t want to get on that train, in which case we have plenty of time.”

“Lou, we have to- we said-“

“-I know what we said,” Louis snaps. Liam is quiet and Louis sighs. “I’m sorry, all right? I just- let’s just... We’ll request it next time, yeah? If we get back.”

“ _When we get back,_ ” Liam states. Louis doesn’t reply.

Normally, the rush of running towards a solid brick wall makes the blood in Louis’ veins throb, the exhilaration completely taking over and making him stumble over his own feet almost every single time, but today he just slightly tugs Liam behind him as he steps through the barrier of Platform 9 ¾. Liam’s got a frown on his face when Louis quickly lets go of his hand, but before he can say anything, Louis slaps him on the shoulder.

“I’m just gonna say hi to my mum. Meet you on the train in two?”

He doesn’t even wait for the response before he takes off in a light jog, backpack bouncing on his back. His mum is pressed closed to the Hogwarts Express, a frown on her face where she’s talking to Louis’ sister through one of the windows. The frown quickly gets replaced by a glare when she spots him though, and Louis slows down as he gets closer.

“I thought you weren’t going to show up,” Jay states, mouth tight and her hand gripping his arm almost painfully.

“I promised I would,” Louis mutters, quickly glancing at Lottie who’s watching them curiously.

“I know, but-“

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

A shrill whistle sounds. Louis sees his mum sigh, before she wraps his arms around him. “Be careful, all right? Don’t do anything stupid. Write your poor mum when you can, will you? And take care of your sister.”

“Mum-“

“Nah, I got it,” Louis says with a wink and he presses a kiss against his mum’s forehead. “She’ll be under supervision, don’t you worry.”

“Please don’t,” Lottie whines from the window. “Mum, tell him not to.”

“I’ll ask Harry if he can keep an eye on her, all right?” Louis says and Jay nods at that, her hand carefully brushing his fringe out of his eyes.

“Love you!” Louis yells over his shoulder as he rushes back to the rear of the train, just climbing on when it starts to move. It takes him twenty seconds to find the other boys, sat in the same compartment they’d claimed in his third year, and he flops stomach-down on one of the seats, his head in Liam’s lap.

“Wake me up when we get there,” he mumbles into the jeans. He’s exhausted. Maybe he should’ve listened to Liam last night sometime around two when suggested going to sleep, but Nick had just turned on some documentary about how lamps were made and he just hadn’t been able to stop watching. Sometimes Muggles just blew his mind with the stuff they came up with. Also, Nick had been fast asleep on his shoulder and he really didn’t want to move.

“Hi Niall, hi Harry,” Niall says, his voice an imitation of what Louis suspects is his voice. “Did ya have a good time on your hols? Lovely to see you again. I missed you both terribly, never leave me again. Liam was such a bore, don’t know why-“

“Hi Niall,” Louis interrupts, struggling to take his backpack off while lying down. It’s not going so great “Hi Harry. Did you have a good time at home?”

Harry hums from where he’s sat against the window, legs sideways and tangled with Niall’s.

“Des wrote me a letter and then mum went into a frenzy over that. I spent my holidays transforming the basement into a hiding spot with Robin, basically. Think she’s planning on locking me up there once school’s finished.”

Louis stares at him, unblinking. Right. Anne Twist had always been a bit... peculiar. Lovely, but peculiar. Harry resembles her a lot in that manner, Louis thinks, and he might have never have met Des -hopes he never will, either- but sometimes he does see the parts of Harry that are his genetics; he’s clumsy, but classy; over-emotional, but has no problem with lying through his teeth; loyal, and a Slytherin.

“What did he want?” Liam asks, his fingers scratching Louis scalp.

“Same thing as always, I guess,” Harry shrugs. “For me to join him and his friends as soon as I turn seventeen, to leave mum and live with him, all that stuff. Didn’t really read all of it.”

“You’re not- you’re not gonna do that, are you?” Liam’s voice is tight and Louis tries to reach out and comfort him. All he manages to do is pat his shin.

“Nah,” Harry shrugs. “But I like to make him think I maybe will. Keep him calm for a bit longer.”

He’s smiling then and Louis smiles right back at him, before closing his eyes. If the roles were reversed, Louis would definitely be more freaked out about having a Death Eater for a father. Then again, half of the time he doesn’t even know what’s going on in the other boy’s head so he could be having a meltdown daily and Louis would be none the wiser.

As soon as Niall and Liam start discussing the latest Kenmare Kestrels match, Louis zones out. The soft rocking of the train almost makes him fall asleep right there on the spot, but not before a sharp finger is poked into his ribs. Louis bats at it with his eyes closed.

“Long night, Tommo?” Niall grins when Louis fails to contain a yawn a second later. “Nick keep you up all night?”

“Shut up,” Louis mumbles. There’s constant chatter in the hallway, students moving from one compartment to the other and Louis does not need anyone to overhear whatever Niall is saying. In the corner of his eye he sees Harry fiddling with his tie and his fingers itch to help him out but Niall is there before he can do anything, quickly tying it. It’s somewhat unfair how Harry’s tie matches the colour of his eyes precisely, while Louis is stuck with a red-and-gold theme that doesn’t really do anything for him.

The English countryside passes by them, rays of sun swapped for rain. They almost blow up the whole compartment when they try out Liam’s new, enhanced Exploding Snap set, and Niall claims a whole box of mince pies for himself, while continuing to steal some of Harry’s Bertie Bott’s. By the time the sky has turned from orange to black, they’ve all got their robes on and they’re all just staring out the window. 

Louis will never get used to how small and insignificant Hogwarts looks from a distance.

“Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like it’s all downhill from here?” Harry’s voice is quiet, but it still rings through the small compartment. Liam’s hand stills in Louis’ hair.

“At least no one got kidnapped this time,” Niall says a beat later, his toe poking Harry’s side. 

“We’re not there yet, don’t jinx it,” Liam mumbles.

“I can’t wait for this to be over,” Harry whispers next.

Louis silently agrees.

*

It’s not as bad as he’d expected.

Sure, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies and complete smooth sailing, but it almost seems as if the castle has somewhat calmed down since Christmas. Louis is sure that even if things weren’t quite so fine, McGonagall would still have assigned them a two-feet long paper on Human Transfiguration. She, apparently, doesn’t care that it’s only been a week since the holidays and is determined to make them all pass their N.E.W.T.S this year. It seems a bit like a challenge to Louis, if he’s honest.

The four of them have taken claim of the biggest round table in the Hufflepuff common room, parchment and quills scattered around and three library books opened on random pages. Harry’s writing his essay for Muggle Studies next to him, snorting every once in a while before he scribbles something down.

“Why did you make me do Transfiguration,” Liam moans from the other side of the table as he frowns down at his parchment.

“Because it’s a useful skill to have as an Auror,” Louis cites monotonously.

“It’s rubbish.”

Louis just hums at that. His own essay isn’t faring that well either, just barely over a foot written and he groans as he stretches his back. He’d been out all night with some of the other DA members, trying to figure out a spell to make the _Dumbledore’s Army, still recruiting_ inerasable and then he’d promptly fallen asleep on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room.

“All right,” Harry drawls next to him. When Louis catches his eyes, they’re glistening with mirth. “I feel like as a Pureblood I should know this, but I need one more reason as to why Muggles are clearly the less superior race.”

“They’re stupid,” Niall immediately says, not even looking up from his parchment.

“They’re dirty,” Liam pipes up, and Louis wiggles his eyebrows at him.

“They’re like animals, really,” Louis adds next, his voice tilting in a way to make himself sound like a more male, northern version of Carrow.

Harry grins at them. “Perfect, thank you.”

*

_Dear Nick,_

_I don’t have a fucking clue what to write to be honest, which I now realise is a shitty way to start a letter so sorry for that. It’s just that not a lot of interesting stuff has happened in the past week and Liam will probably have already updated you on how we miss you and all that stuff so I figure I won’t have to tell you as well. Your breakfasts are missed though._

_Being back here has been a madhouse. The classes are tough as fuck and the student body is taking up most of my free time. Can’t remember if I told you over Christmas but there’s some teachers here that really don’t have any qualifications to actually teach us something, so we’re trying to see if there’s a way for us to get rid of them and get some proper ones. The headmaster is a proper dick though, so I doubt we’ll actually achieve something. It means lots of long nights and more meetings than I’d like but I guess it’s all for a good cause in the end._

_It’s also snowing like mad outside and you and I both know how I hate being stuck inside. Wanted to play some football out on the grounds today but we’re apparently not even allowed to go outside. They didn’t like it either when we kicked around a bit in one of the hallways. Gave me and Niall detention for that as well, the arse._

_Anyway, how are you? You said something about going to an arts show with Alexa, yeah? Was that all right? I found one of your shirts in my backpack. Dunno if that was on purpose, so if it was, thank you, and if it wasn’t, it smells and you’re not getting it back._

_Write me back, yeah?_

_Love you,  
Louis_

*

Sometimes Louis wonders how the actual fuck he ended up with someone as kind and beautiful as Liam bloody Payne. Maybe he was sent as some kind of reward that Louis had earned after surviving a completely shit month back when he was a fifth year. His mum and Mark had recently got divorced, his best friend had pulled a disappearing act to Merlin-knows-where, and, on top of that, he’d been knocked off his broom by a Slytherin and ended up in St. Mungo’s for three weeks. He’d missed his O.W.L.S, had automatically failed his O.W.L.S because of that, and then he’d been almost forced to retake his fifth year. Liam nervously shuffling into his hospital room to hand him some legal forms that Professor Dumbledore had wanted him to sign must have been a _‘thank you for sticking around’_ from some sort of higher power, Louis is convinced.

Even now, with his eyes a bit glassy and his tie crooked, Louis still can’t actually believe that he gets to call Liam his when the other boy pulls back a bit on top of hm, and grins sheepishly at him.

“Sorry,” he whispers, a bit hoarse. “Got a bit carried away.”

Louis stretches himself out underneath Liam, his back arching and his feet almost falling over the edge of the small poster bed. “Nothing to be sorry for,” Louis replies. Liam doesn’t look so convinced above him.

“I just- sorry for... this” he waves in the general direction of his crotch, his dick clearly straining against the fabric. He almost topples off the bed when he tries to put his bodyweight on one arm.

“Are you apologising for your dick?” Louis snorts, his arm coming out to grab Liam before he falls.

“I- no? Maybe? I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable?” Liam mostly sounds confused now. Louis doesn’t like the frown on his face, either.

“I’m not,” Louis reassures him, carefully sitting up against the wall and pulling the other boy into his arms. Liam instantly melts against him, his head coming to rest on Louis’ shoulder. Louis presses a quick kiss against his temple. 

“You’re sure you’re-“

“I’m ace, love. Not a prude. We’ve talked about this.”

Liam drops it after that, and Louis starts humming in his ear, some song he’d heard on the radio back at Nick’s. Neville’s still not back and Louis suspects he might be staying in the Hufflepuff dorms tonight. He hopes there won’t be any bed checks tonight.

“Did you finish your letter to Nick?” Liam mumbles after a while and Louis nods against his head.

“Yeah. Didn’t really know what to write, did I. Couldn’t even remember half of the stuff he said he was gonna be doing so ‘s not a terribly long one.”

“Give it to me later, yeah? I’ve got Herbology in the morning, I’ll take it down to Lila in the kitchens for you.”

“Hmmm. I could take it meself before detention tonight.”

Liam snorts. “I can’t believe you tried to play Quidditch inside. You’re lucky you threw it through Binns and not the Bloody Baron.”

Louis doesn’t want to think of what would’ve happened if Carrow had seen him and Niall instead. “Binns loves me. He probably needed help with dusting books or summat and that’s why he gave us detention. Don’t think he even felt it.”

“Who knows, you might even read one for a change while you’re at it.”

Louis pinches Liam in his side. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”

“You can’t resist the curls,” Liam replies immediately, turning his head so he can grin at Louis.

Louis snorts. “You bloody charm your hair straight every morning, there’s not a curl in sight.”

“And yet, I’ve still got you hooked.”

Louis can’t really argue with that.

*

“ _Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you..._ ”

Harry’s grin could probably be seen from the Astronomy Tower, Louis guesses. The Slytherin boy is stood on a dangerously wobbling square table, slightly swaying to the rhythm of everyone’s out-of-tune singing and Louis got his wand at the ready in case he decides to topple off. Being friends with Harry means that he’s got his Hover Charm almost down to perfection now.

A bottle of Firewhisky comes flying past and Louis barely manages to take a step back so it doesn’t hit him in the side of the head.

“Should we’ve confiscated everyone’s wands before they came in, you think?” a voice pipes up next to him. Ginny Weasley has got a smirk on her face and, just like Louis, her wand at the ready.

“Might have been smart, yeah,” Louis replies. Niall is carefully helping Harry of the table, both of them laughing at the ‘get it!’ Dennis Creevey yells. “Then again...”

“-it’s probably not the wisest idea to let people go wandless,” Ginny finishes for him and Louis nods. They both let their gaze cross the Gryffindor common room. Niall’s got his yellow jumper tied around his waist and now seems to be grinding up against Liam, his hands pressed against the Gryffindor’s stomach, with Harry watching them with a pleased smile from his spot on the sofa, his green tie knotted to hold his hair back.

“Shouldn’t you be over there?” Ginny says with a smile as she nods in Liam’s direction.

“’m not nearly drunk enough to dance,” Louis snorts. The last time he had been drunk enough, he’d been in a Muggle club, sandwiched between Liam and then-stranger Nick, who’d made the both of them breakfast in the morning after they’d crashed on his sofa, and who’d taken the both of them out on a date a week later. He’s not so sure he can be trusted with alcohol anymore. All it could take is a blink of an eye and there’d be a fourth person in their relationship. Liam probably wouldn’t approve.

Besides, it’s Harry’s coming-of-age party and he’s pretty sure someone has to drag his sorry, drunk arse back to the dungeons at the end of the night anyway. Past experience has proven it’s easier to do that while Louis is one hundred per cent sober, especially if he has to drop off a drunk Irishman on the way as well.

There’s a lull in the conversation and Louis hates those. “Have you heard anything-“

He sees Ginny shake her head immediately. “No. But I’m sure we would have if You-Know-Who caught them. I figure they’re still out there somewhere doing whatever it is that they’re doing. They’ll be back.”

Louis hums. It’s been five months -five incredibly long and silent-on-the-Harry-Potter-front months- but he figures the only thing they can do at this point is hope.

A loud bang interrupts his thoughts and Louis groans when he sees the tell-tale smoke of an Exploding Snap set.

“Liam!” he yells through the room. He finds him sitting on the floor in front of a coffee table, smoke rising up in front of him and Lavender, and shot glasses spread out all around them.

“Oops. Sorry!” 

*

Two hours later, him and Harry almost tumble down the stairs when Harry steps right through a fake step on the staircase to the second floor, Niall cackling loudly behind them.

*

_Dear Louis,_

_What happened to ‘I’m always on my best behaviour’? That must be what? Your sixth detention since September?_

Twelfth, actually, but Louis probably shouldn’t tell him that. He’d like for Nick to think somewhat positively about him.

_Hope you’re doing all right though. It sounds a bit like a shit situation. Isn’t there a board where you can file a complaint? I think that’s what we had at uni._

_Liam’s been complaining about the cold in his letters - yes, you read that right. Letters. Multiple.- so keep an eye on him, yeah? I don’t know what kind of establishment they’re letting you guys sleep in but I’m guessing you shouldn’t freeze to death._

_The exhibition was an experience in itself. Lou, this bloke used elephant dung in some of his paintings. Elephant dung. Like just a little ball of dung as a necklace and he used it to support the painting as well? Also a lot of glitter. It was mental. You would have both hated it and loved it._

_I have to get back to work now (I’m writing this in between tracks and the producer isn’t too happy I think) but I hope to hear from you soon. I thought that maybe we could see some footie when you guys are back? I think Greg said Man U was playing some charity thing? Let me know if you’d be into that._

_Also, the shirt was intentional, so you’re welcome. Thought you might like something that reminded you of me._

_Miss you,  
Your Nick._

*

The only thing that’s keeping him awake during double Transfiguration with the Slytherins the following Wednesday is Liam lazily doodling on his arm with his wand and accidentally poking him every ten seconds. It’s been an hour of McGonagall droning on and on about the importance of their N.E.W.T.S, and which topics they will cover and what their next classes will be focussing on. Louis had zoned out twenty minutes ago.

“Mr Payne,” McGonagall’s voice suddenly rings through the classroom and Liam’s head snaps up next to him. “If you would be so kind as to pursue your artistic dreams at a later moment, I think you find that this next bit might be quite relevant to you and Mr Tomlinson’s interests. Pay attention, please.”

Liam’s face has gone beet red. “Yes, Professor. Sorry.”

“Lovely. Now that I have everyone’s attention again, I would like to offer you all an opportunity that I think some of you might greatly benefit from. As you all know, the Transfiguration N.E.W.T. requires you all to write a six-feet essay on a provided subject at your exams, followed by a thirty minute practical exam. However, this year it will be possible for students to pick one subject for a more hands-on project. By choosing Transfiguration, your project will focus on the implementation of the theory you have learned over the years, as well as some research. By doing this and meeting the set requirements, the student in question will only be required to write a three-feet essay at the exam and will take a ten minute practical exam.”

Louis’ ears perk up at that. Liam and him are both absolutely rubbish at essays, and a three-feet essay sounds ten times better than a six-feet one.

“We expect all students working on the project to be able to explain the workings verbally and to be able to demonstrate their skills related to the project with the right technique. You are all allowed to pair up, but do keep in mind that the project should then be suitable for multiple people to work on. If any of you are interested, please do come see me after class or some time this week. You are all free to go now.”

Louis just blinks at the spot she was standing in a second ago, his mind going a mile a minute. Liam’s frowning at the table in front of him and Louis nudges his side.

“Do you think we should-“

“Yeah. What topic could we-“

“Human Transfiguration would be ace, wouldn’t it?”

Liam nods. “Think she’d be all right if we teamed up?”

“I think she expects us to, to be honest.”

The classroom slowly empties, but the two of them stop at McGonagall’s desk where there’s a few other students talking to her already. Louis notices that Liam is twirling his wand nervously between his fingers. He stops him with a hand on his back.

“Professor?” Louis asks once they’re the only two left. “Say we wanted to do the project. What would it entail exactly? Would it just be turning a quill into a bird or...?”

“I expect you would know more than that by now, Mr Tomlinson,” she says but Louis still thinks he can spot a slight smile on her face. “I’d prefer it if you could come up with something a little bit more... creative. Something that has not been done before or something that you could improve on. Do you have a particular topic in mind already?”

“Human Transfiguration,” Liam answers. McGonagall does smile at that.

“A very good choice, if I do say so myself. Any ideas on how to tackle that? Were you thinking Animagus or maybe human to furniture?”

A knock on the door stops her and Louis looks over his shoulder to see Draco Malfoy in the door opening. Louis tries to hold back his sneer but he is pretty sure he fails anyway. He doesn’t understand how that twat still dares to show his face in this school.

“Mr Malfoy,” McGonagall says calmly. “Give me a few minutes to talk to these students and I will see you right after.”

“Thank you, Professor,” the boy mutters and turns around, his hand gripping his forearm. Louis doesn’t even have to guess why.

“As I said,” McGonagall continues. “Do you have any ideas?”

“We haven’t really-“

“Actually,” Louis interrupts, his eyes now on the doodles on his arm. “I think I might have one?”

*

The Great Hall is almost deserted after lunch, just a few tiny first years sitting a few spots away, confusingly staring at him and Niall. The confusion probably has to do with the fact that the Hufflepuff is staring at him like Louis just announced that the Three-Headed Dog from six years ago is locked up in the Hufflepuff common room.

“So lemme get this straight... you want to get a Dark Mark? And for me to help you make it?” Niall asks around a piece of toast, his blue eyes piercing into Louis’.

“Jesus,” Louis hisses. “Keep your voice down, will ya?”

“Sorry,” Niall whispers back, leaning forward a bit. “But really? A Dark Mark?”

“It’s not a bloody Dark Mark,” Louis whisper-replies back. “It’s like... it’s the same idea, sort of. We’ve all heard the story of how the Dark Mark can change shape, right? Make the wearer feel pain, that sort of thing. So me and Liam, and maybe you if you’re up for ditching Abott, are going to try and replicate that with some tweaks. No crazy followers or masks required if everything goes well.”

“But it’s still the same idea. The tattoo will be connected to someone’s feelings in a way.” Niall sounds highly sceptical.

“In a _good_ way,” Louis repeats. “Like- look... I literally came up with this idea half an hour ago, all right? But wouldn’t it be ace to create a tattoo that will give some sort of sign when someone close to you is hurt? Say you got one for H, yeah? So you connect him to it in some way and then, if he were to fall of the Astronomy Tower because either Malfoy pushed him off it or he just tripped and fell himself, its colour or shape or something would change and you’d know he’d be in danger. Or dead. Like I said, the plan isn’t really one hundred percent foolproof yet.”

“And McGonagall was all right with this?” Niall says with raised eyebrows, his lunch long forgotten.

“It took some persuading, but yeah.”

It had taken more than a lot, if he’s honest, but what Niall doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

“You and Liam are both getting one?” Louis hums in affirmation. “So what- you do realise Muggle tattoos don’t move, yeh? How are you gonna explain a gigantic snake slithering up and down your arm to Nick? I mean, you could use a Confu-“

Louis rolls his eyes. “I’m not getting a bloody snake, Horan. It’s gonna be something subtle. Nick won’t realise that it’s not a regular Muggle tattoo, don’t worry.”

Louis swears he hears Niall mutter a ‘someone’s gotta worry about ya idiots’ as he butters another piece of toast.

“So are you in?”

Niall’s sigh carries through the Great Hall. “Fine. I’m in. But only because I hated the idea Hannah had.”

*

The letters are starting to swim in front of his eyes and his right leg is going numb from the way that Liam has swung his legs over his. He’s only managed to get through three chapters so far, but judging by the slowly shrinking pile of Sugar Quills on the table, he’s not the only one who’s struggling.

“Should we just call it a day, lads?”

Niall practically throws his book shut, dust rising up around them. “Yes, please, thank you. I don’t think I can read any more about body modification without being sick. People are brutal, I tell ya.”

Liam hums from next to him, carefully placing a piece of parchment between his pages before gently closing it. “I think I found something on how to make sure your ink sticks to your parchment for longer without fading. Maybe we can use that.”

“But we’re not actually trying to draw it on with a quill, are we?” Just the thought of something as sharp as the end of a quill going near his skin makes him shiver.

“No, but if we figure out how to tweak the spell so it will make sure drawings stick to skin without it washing off in the shower, then that’s at least one part sorted, right?”

Louis nods to himself. That might potentially work, maybe. He pats Liam’s leg. “Good job, Payno.”

“What about you then?” Niall asks from the other side of the table. “Found anything good in that book?”

“Not really, no. Just a bunch of old pricks tattling on about the laws of nature and whatnot. I did think of something else though.”

“That’s what?”

“The both of you aren’t even old enough yet to get a tattoo,” he says with a grin.

“Feck off, grandpa. Muggle laws don’t count here.”

“It’s not just a Muggle law,” Liam supplies, frown on his face. “I asked that guy at Tattoo Artist in Diagon Alley last year. He said you had to be an adult.”

“But that’s seventeen, innit?” Louis asks.

“I think that’s what he meant, yeah. Not sure though. Didn’t think mum would’ve liked seeing me in there so I just popped in to ask that.”

Louis can’t imagine Karen would have. He’s met Liam’s mum several times now, and he’s always struck by how different from his own mum she is. Karen Payne would definitely not be on board with her then-sixteen-year-old baby getting a tattoo.

“Let’s just not mention to McGonagall that the lines are a bit blurry, all right?”

Liam gathers all their books in a pile and Louis quickly grabs their permission slip signed by McGonagall from the table. If they lose that one, they’re fucked. Gatherings of three or more students are forbidden -as Zabini clearly reminded them tonight- and he really doesn’t have time for even more detention.

“Good night,” Niall whispers to them as he and Harry take the grand stairs down. Louis waves over his shoulder, his hand coming up to rest on Liam’s back as they make their way to the seventh floor. Liam stumbles a bit as he tries to climb through the portrait and Louis snorts softly as he holds him steady.

“C’mon love, let’s get you to bed.”

*

The next couple of weeks pass in the blink of an eye and it leaves Louis feeling absolutely knackered. Trying to balance his classes, Dumbledore’s Army, spending time with Liam, writing to Nick, working on the Transfiguration project and putting in as much Quidditch practice as he can by himself will probably be his downfall. Forget You-Know-Who and Death Eaters; it’s forgetting to avoid a fake step because he can barely keep his eyes open that will be the end of him.

“Love me,” Louis moans as he walks into the Gryffindor dormitory, his bag slung over a shoulder and his tie dangling from his neck. Liam looks up from where he’s sitting on his bed, his legs covered by his duvet and a streak of ink on his cheek. He looks way too comfortable and it’s unfair.

“I do, love” Liam replies, putting his pen and paper away on his nightstand -another one of those Muggle things that Louis is amazed by- and opening his arms. Louis immediately accepts the invitation, shuffling over and falling into Liam’s chest.

“You should be asleep,” he mumbles into Liam’s shoulder. He can feel the other boy nod.

“Probably. Neville left about an hour ago, said you’d be back soon so I thought I’d wait for you. Haven’t really seen you this week.”

“You saw me this morning. You literally sat right next to me at Potions, you twat.”

“’s not what I meant. Missed spending time with just you.”

Louis presses a kiss to Liam’s chest. “’m sorry. ‘s just- there’s so many things to do, innit? There was that second year Ravenclaw in the dungeons? The one Harry tutors, and we just had to-“

“I get it,” Liam interrupts, his arms tightening around Louis body. It really should be unfair how someone two years younger is already taller and broader than him and can wrap his arms around him like he’s just a twig. “Things to do, places to go, people to save. Do you wanna go to sleep?”

Louis nods tiredly. Sleep sounds bloody amazing right now. “Hmm, in a minute. Were you writing to Nick?”

“Yeah.” Liam doesn’t elaborate, but he’s got that slightly miserable note to his voice and if there’s one thing he doesn’t like, it’s a sad Liam. That, and Quidditch matches in the rain. Those are just dreadful.

“I miss him,” Louis says when Liam stays quiet. “Like, I didn’t think I’d miss him this much because you’re still here and it’s always been just us? But I really do.”

He feels Liam’s lips press against the top of his head. “It’s weird, but I miss you two bickering next to me in bed. It’s almost like it’s too quiet now.”

Louis doesn’t point out that they’ve only slept over at Nick’s a total of seven times. Besides, Nick has terribly cold feet and absolutely no reason to press them against Louis’ shins in the middle of the night. He deserves every single comment Louis throws at him.

“Ask him if he wants to spend Easter at my mum’s yeah? In your letter.”

The skin beneath his cheek vibrates when Liam hums. “Yeah, all right. Are you gonna sleep here?”

The side of the bed is already digging into his thigh, the poster beds not really made for a grown person, let alone two. “It won’t fit.”

“Like that has ever stopped you before.”

Liam probably has a point there. “All right. But if you elbow me out of bed again, I will burn every Men’s Health you’ve collected so far.”

“That was one time!” Liam squawks beneath him as Louis quickly changes into his pyjamas and makes himself comfortable in the small space next to Liam.

“Whatever you say love. Now- shhhh. I’m trying to sleep.”

Liam pinches him in his side -a move Louis shouldn’t have taught him- but then there’s also a soft kiss on his shoulder so he’ll take it. He curls his arm around Liam’s stomach, their legs pressed together and he presses his lips against the first bit of skin that he can find.

“Night, love.”

“Sweet dreams,” Liam mumbles back and Louis tries not to fall asleep immediately, but the rise and fall of his boyfriend’s chest beneath his cheek and the sound of the wind blowing through the cracks by the window have him dozing off within seconds.

*

It doesn’t last for long, though.

After what feels like barely five minutes, a loud knock startles him out of his sleep.

“What the-“ Louis mumbles as he throws back the covers, Liam watching him with a frown on his face. The stone tiles are cold beneath his bare feet and whoever is on the other side of the door must have a damn good reason to be there in the middle of the night for him to miss out on his well-deserved sleep.

“Neville?” Louis calls out as he approaches.

“In here, mate,” Neville replies from the other side of the dormitory, his hair sticking up at odd angles and looking as awake as Louis feels right now.

“Seamus?”

“’m trying to sleep.”

“Then who the bloody hell-“

“Open up, Tomlinson!”

Louis startles for a second, before he opens the door with a sigh. “Zabini. Lovely to see you. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Professor Carrow wants to see you.” There’s a tiny smirk playing around his lips and Louis wishes he could just punch it off.

“In the middle of the night?” Liam’s dragged himself out of bed as well and comes to stand behind Louis, his arms crossed. He probably would’ve looked a lot more intimidating if he wasn’t only wearing his pants, Louis thinks.

“I was talking to Tomlinson, Payne. Go back to bed.”

“I’ll do whatever-“

“ _You_ will do what _I_ say,” Zabini almost growls, “because I’m the Head Boy here and I would love to show you the dungeons if you’re not very careful.”

“Love,” Louis says quietly, his eyes not leaving Zabini’s. “Just go back to bed, yeah?”

Liam looks like he’s about to protest but then he sighs. “Fine.”

“Such a well-trained pet you have,” Zabini says with a grin and if Louis hadn’t wanted to punch him before, he does now.

“Don’t you dare-“ he snarls, but then there’s a wand pressed to his chest and Louis swallows.

“I’d be very careful here.”

Louis nods. His own wand is still on the night stand and he can’t believe he was stupid enough to open the door without it. He could hex Zabini five ways into Sunday if he wanted to.

“Now, Professor Carrow would like to see you so I suggest you put something on and come with me. I haven’t got all night.”

Louis gets dressed in silence, Liam watching him from the bed as he tugs a jumper over his bare chest and some miss-matched socks that his grandma knitted for him on his feet.  
“Lou-“

“I’ll be fine, yeah?” he whispers with a glance at Zabini, who’s leaning against the door like he owns the place.

“Do you know what he wants?”

“Not a clue.”

He doesn’t, not really. There’s at least ten things that it could be -involvement in the D.A., helping the girl escape the dungeons, using a school House Elf for personal purposes, spreading revolutionary messages, just to name a few- but he is pretty sure that there’s no actual hard proof that he’s involved in any of those things.

“Be careful,” is all Liam says and with quick nod, Louis walks back to Zabini.

They both don’t say a word as they make their way through the common room and the castle hallways. The route from the Gryffindor Tower to Carrow’s office on the third floor has never seemed so long and Louis keeps fidgeting with his wand, carefully tucked away in the sleeve of his jumper. A few of the paintings eye them wearily as they walk past, but with the way that Zabini is pushing out his chest and showing of his badge, none of them actually say anything.

“You can go in,” the other boy says when they’ve made their way through the Dark Arts classroom and are standing in front of a tall, wooden door. Louis doesn’t knock before he walks in.

The office walls are covered in ominous flickering candles but it somehow still looks darker than the rest of the castle did. When Louis eyes find the clock hanging right above the desk from where Carrow is sitting, he almost snorts. A quarter past three in the morning. Lovely.

“Mr Tomlinson,” Carrow speaks up from his desk, his voice light. “It’s good to see you.”

“I wish I could say the same, Professor, but I was having a nice dream before Zabini rudely woke me up.”

Carrow glares at him from the other side of the desk and Louis’ fingers reach for the end of his wand.

“I do not appreciate your tone, Mr Tomlinson. Let me say repeat that. It’s good to see you, Mr Tomlinson.”

“It’s good to see you to, Professor,” Louis grits out between his teeth.

“That’s better. Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you, Professor.” He might not be a Ravenclaw but he’s not bloody stupid. 

A chair comes flying through the air a second later, settling down on the other side of the desk and Carrow nods. Louis takes the hint and sits down.

“Do you know why you are here?”

“No, Professor.”

The man in front of him looks surprised and Louis can see right through it. “Not even the slightest idea? It might make this whole thing a lot easier if you just tell me why you think you’re here.”

“I haven’t got a clue, Professor.” 

Carrow’s eye twitches and Louis swallows.

“All right. I will just get down to it then.” The light tone of voice has been replaced with something much harsher. It doesn’t worry him per se -he survived Potion Class with Snape for six years after all and that man’s voice could make the Great Lake freeze over- but he’d really prefer it if he didn’t become another addition to the ever-growing list of people who came into this office completely fine and left utterly broken.

A file gets dropped in front of him on the desk and Louis only has to glance at it to recognize it as his Muggle-born Registration form. The red square next to _security level_ says it all, doesn’t it? Two years of rooming with Harry Potter and he’s suddenly High Risk.

“Now,” Carrow starts. “It says here that your blood status is Half-Blood. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And your sister is a Pure-Blood.”

Louis hums. Carrow seems to be waiting for an explanation though, so Louis sighs. “My mum’s a witch, my dad was a Muggle. My mum remarried a wizard and they’re both second-generation witches and wizards so my siblings are all Pure-Bloods.”

“Do you still see your father?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. I’m glad your mother saw the error of her ways and realised Muggles can’t be trusted,” Carrow says pleased. “However, there have been some concerns that your upbringing and the people you surround yourself with have made you more... empathetic towards Muggles.”

“I’m sorry, sir? More empathetic?”

“Hmm, indeed.” Louis feels Carrow’s gaze burning and he tries not to look away. He has a slight suspicion as to where this conversation is going and it’s making bile rise up his throat. He swallows audibly. “Tell me, Mr Tomlinson. What did you score on your latest Muggle Studies essay?”

“An O, sir.”

“Right, right. So you do understand the threats that Muggles pose to our society and why the Ministry disapproves of interaction with this breed.”

“I- yes, sir. I do.”

The ticking of the clock seems to grow louder with every second that Carrow stays quiet and Louis tries to keep his face blank. He wishes there was someone else here. Preferably Harry, because at least he knows how to lie properly, where Louis just relies on the whole fake-it-till-you-make-it principle. It has saved his arse more times than he can count, so he just hopes he isn’t too tired to pull it off this time.

When Carrow speaks next, Louis’ blood runs cold. “Maybe you could explain as to why several students reported overhearing you talking about a Muggle girlfriend? Perhaps your upbringing has influenced you more than we all would have liked.”

A million thoughts are running through his mind, but he tries to stay calm. _Fuck, fuck, fuck_. He’s been so fucking careful not to say anything about Nick in public, because he knows the whole bloody school is full of snitches and first years that are so easy to scare into talking.

“I don’t have a girlfriend, sir.” It’s not a lie, Louis reminds himself.

A chair scrapes over the floor and then Carrow is leaning on the desk, his face dangerously close to Louis’, eyes blazing. “Do not lie to me, Tomlinson. Several students from different houses heard you and Mr Horan loud and clear.”  
Louis’ mind flashes back to that afternoon in the Great Hall. _‘Nick won’t realise that it’s not a regular Muggle tattoo..._ ’

“I’m not lying, sir. I do not have a girlfriend. I’m actually dating Liam Payne?”

He tries not to blink, his eyes meeting the ones in front of him. His palms are sweaty, his heart is beating so fast he’s sure the other man must hear it, and he prays to whatever god is up there that Niall’s still asleep in his bed.

“So you’re saying that if I were to go looking for this-“ Carrow flips through some pages, clearly ignoring the last bit, and Louis breathes in deeply once. “-this Nic, I wouldn’t find her?”

 _Fuck._ “I’m positive, sir. I wouldn’t date Muggle filth.”

The look that Carrow throws him is just short of murderous. “You might think you can fool me, boy, but I know your kind of people. All you Half-Bloods and Mudbloods are just Muggle-loving scum. I know that girl of yours is out there somewhere. I’m going to track her down and when I find her, I’m going to make you wish you’d never lied to me. We could even turn it into a class, show everyone what happens to the whores of blood-traitors who defy the rules of the Dark Lord. Do you think your girlfriend would like that, Mr Tomlinson?”

Louis stays quiet.

He needs Liam.

He just wants Liam, right now.

It’s another three minutes of Carrow just staring at him and the clock loudly ticking on the wall. The candles seem to flicker even more ominously as when he came in, if that’s even possible and the cold of the stone tiles seems to seep through his clothes, leaving his skin almost frozen.

“Is that everything, Professor?” Louis breaks the silence, his voice tight. “Because I’d like to go back to bed now.” Back to Liam.

Carrow narrows his eyes but he seems to realise he can’t just keep Louis locked up in his office forever. Louis is pretty sure Liam and Neville will come down within the next half hour if he isn’t back by then and they’ve all become pretty good at hexes this past year.

“You’re dismissed.”

Slowly, Louis gets off his chair and makes his way to the door, never turning his back on the other man. He’s almost closed the door behind him when Carrow calls out his name again.

“Remember, if I find her, you and your whole family will regret ever being born.”

Louis lets the door fall loudly into place behind him before he dashes out of the classroom.

They need a plan. They need a plan and they need one _now_.

He’s never actually given thought to what would happen if someone _did_ actually find out about Nick. He’s pretty sure Liam hasn’t either. They’d been so sure that they could keep him secret for one year. Keep him secret for one year, and then move somewhere no one could find them until the whole Wizarding World had figured itself out. As it turns out, that wasn’t quite as foolproof as they’d thought it would be.

He runs up the stairs three steps at a time, cursing loudly when the stairs to the fifth floor move right at the moment he gets to the fourth floor. The next five minutes all pass in a blur and by the time he’s made it to the Gryffindor common room again, he’s out of breath and freaking the fuck out.

There’s no doubt that Carrow will be able to find Nick. Sure, if he’s looking for a girl it might take him a bit longer, but Louis is also very much aware that Carrow and his group of friends aren’t stupid. They’ve got two days, three days max, if they’re lucky.

The Gryffindor common room is draped in a soft glow when Louis comes in and his eyes immediately fall on Liam, perched on the side of the sofa with a frown on his face. The other boy is immediately on his feet when he spots Louis, his eyes already scanning his body for injuries.

“Are you-“

“We need to get him out,” Louis interrupts. His head is all over the place and he can’t seem to think straight. Carrow’s words won’t seem to leave him alone and the _what happens to the whores of blood-traitors who defy the rules of the Dark Lord_ plays on an endless loop. What if they don’t get to Nick on time? He should’ve realised from the start that dating a Muggle would only lead to trouble. Fuck Nick and his stupid charm and his stupid face. 

It’s then that he realises that Liam’s talking to him, his voice soft but urgent. “-c’mon, babe. Get back to me. Talk to me, yeah?”

“Sorry,” Louis whispers and he’s surprised to find himself on the sofa next to his boyfriend, a blanket wrapped around his shoulder.

“’s all right, babe” Liam whispers back. “Just- what happened? Who do we need to get out? Is someone hurt? Did you- did he make you- are you all right?”

Louis takes a deep breath. He can do this. “They know about Nick.”

Liam goes completely still against him. He doesn’t say anything so Louis continues. It’s probably like a plaster, isn’t it? Just rip it off.

“Someone overheard me and Niall talk about him,” Louis starts, staring at the floor in front of him. “I am so sorry, I honestly thought we were being quiet but apparently they ratted us out to one of the teachers or summat, and now Carrow seems to think that I’ve got a Muggle girlfriend, and fuck him for making assumptions even though Nick is quite a unisex name I guess. Told him I was dating you instead but I think that flew right over his head, the prick.”

Liam’s hand comes up to his face, fingers against his chin so he can’t do anything but look at the other boy.

“Did he- are you all right?” Liam asks carefully. Louis nods.

“Yeah, I- I’m fine. Bit shaken up but physically I’m fine. Cold feet, but what’s new.” That coaxes a tiny laugh out of Liam, but it dies just as quickly as it came. “He’s going to look for Nick, though. Carrow, that is. Or some of his mates. Li, we have to get him out. They can’t find him. If he hurts him-“

“He won’t,” Liam interrupts fiercely. “We’ll figure something out. Maybe he can stay with my parents for a while?”

“That’s the first place they’ll look though.”

“Right.”

“Maybe we could send him on a little surprise holiday?”

“We don’t know how long this is going to take,” Liam reasons. “We can’t really send him off on a half-year long trip around the world, can we?”

“I bet he’d like that,” Louis snorts. “Send him to a beach with some fit lads and unlimited cocktails and he’ll never come back to us.”

Liam rests his head on Louis shoulder. “Maybe not a holiday then.”

“I can’t bloody think when I’m this tired,” Louis groans, after he’s opened his mouth three times to make a suggestion only to forget what he was going to say as soon as he did.

“I’d say we should go to bed and leave this for the morning but...”

“We can’t,” Louis finishes.

The both of them fall silent. As he brings his hand up to play with Liam’s curls, he tries to think of anything that could help them. His family is definitely out of the question. The house is already small enough with Felicity and the twins still at home, there’s probably not even room for Nick’s limbs to fit in there as well, even if his mum was all right with it because she adores Nick. He’s also not sure he’d be willing to sacrifice the safety of his whole family, just because he was stupid enough to open his mouth in a public space. It’s already bad enough that Lottie will be under more scrutiny now. He honestly wouldn’t put it past either of the Carrows or Snape to make her life a miserable hell either, even if she’s a Slytherin. Maybe he should ask Harry again if-

_Harry._

“Harry,” Louis blurts out, almost knocking Liam off the sofa when he turns to sit sideways. “We can ask Harry.”

“Potter?”

Louis stares at him for two seconds before he hits Liam around the head, immediately following it with a peck on his cheek. “No, you twat. Styles. You know, your best friend, House of the Snakes, one of the four people we still trust in this bloody castle. Harry Potter, honestly, Li.”

“I was just checking,” Liam mumbles, his legs wrapping themselves around Louis’ waist. It makes his wand dig uncomfortably into his sides, but if it keeps Liam close, he won’t complain.

“Remember how he’d said he’d spent his holidays renovating the basement with his mum? What if we ask Nick to live with Anne for a while?”

“...you want to lock him up in a basement?”

“Not lock up,” Louis huffs. “Just- keep him safe there for a while.” It’s not the same thing, not really.

“With Harry’s mum. Who’s a witch.” Liam sounds highly sceptical.

“If you’ve got a better idea then let’s hear it,” Louis snaps. He immediately regrets it when Liam recoils, his eyes slightly wider. He tugs Liam back by his hand, resting his forehead against the other boy’s. It’s four a.m., he’s pretty sure a teacher just threatened the lives of him and the people he cares about, and he’s so bloody tired but that doesn’t give him any reason to snap at Liam.

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

“It’s fine,” Liam says quietly. “Just. What about the Secrecy Act? We’d have to tell him things if he’s going to stay with Anne, and that’s against the law, Lou.”

“So is torture and murder, and that’s not stopping others, is it?”

Liam doesn’t reply to that and Louis is quite sure he’s fucking this up royally. But then-

“Do you wanna ask H now?”

“What?” Louis asks, leaning back a bit so he can look at Liam.

“Let’s get Harry now,” Liam says with a determined look on his face. Louis would’ve squished his cheeks had the situation be more appropriate. “You know the password to the Slytherin common room, right?”

“What? No, I think it chang-“

“-maybe someone’s awake then. We can just knock-“

“Li, wait,” Louis says, tugging Liam back on the sofa from where he’d untangled himself and got up. “We can’t just barge in the Slytherin common room, are you bloody mad? If someone catches us, we’re dead. It’s the middle of the fucking night!”

“I don’t fucking care,” Liam replies, venom in his voice. Louis isn’t sure where this sudden change of mind came from and he’s not sure he likes it. “If it keeps Nick safe we should do it. Fuck the consequences.”

“Okay, calm down, Fluffy,” Louis snorts. This whole thing is obviously driving everyone mad. “Let’s ask H in the morning, all right? I doubt Carrow will do anything tonight. I’d say we send a Patronus but like- it’s a pretty long way and someone’s bound to be patrolling the corridor. We’re meeting Niall in the library after breakfast right? Harry will probably be there then. I just wanna go to bed now, yeah?”

It gets a simple nod in return, and Louis tugs Liam off the sofa then, dragging him along to the seventh year dormitory.

“You wanna cuddle?” Louis asks once he’s undressed and he can see the other boy nod from where he’s already pulled the covers up to his chin. It makes him look even younger than seventeen, with his innocent eyes and those bloody curls barely poking out above the covers.

“Scoot over then.”

He falls asleep curled around Liam, both his feet falling off the side of the bed and Liam’s wand poking his cheek from where he keeps it safe under his pillow. 

It’s not perfect, but getting to share a tiny bed with his boy is the best thing Hogwarts has to offer these days.

*

Getting up in the morning is surprisingly easier than Louis had thought. It’s probably because Liam stole all the covers during the night, and he actually has to get out of bed to grab his wand and Accio a jumper, because his bare skin is as cold as the water on the bottom of the Great Lake. 

Talking to Harry, however, is not as easy. He’s right there in Niall’s lap when he and Liam enter the library an hour after breakfast, Harry’s wand poking dangerously out of his back pocket while he’s hunched over some parchment with Niall’s head resting between his shoulder blades. Liam is immediately in the seat in front of him, putting his hand on the parchment to stop Harry from writing, but it only takes a second for a Ravenclaw prefect to come up to them.

“Gatherings of more than three people are not allowed,” she drawls as she points at Louis, who’s just coming up to stand behind Liam with his hands on his shoulders. Louis watches Niall open his eyes, before he closes them again with a soft hum.

“Come on Nikita, we’re just doing homework,” Harry sighs, looking up at her. Louis doesn’t know her, but he doesn’t like the look on her face.

“I don’t care what you’re doing, there’s four of you. One of you has to leave.”

Louis huffs, grabbing the permission slip from his bag. “We’ve got written permission from McGonagall.”

She takes the slip from him -with slightly too much force, if he’s honest- and Louis watches her as her eyes rake over it.

“All fine and well, but this clearly states it’s for the seventh years.”

“We are seventh years,” Liam mumbles, looking confused. Louis pets his shoulder.

“You lot are,” she says, pointing at Liam, Niall and Louis. “But I’ve got Potions with Harry and he for sure isn’t.”

Harry groans. “Oh, come off it. They’re my mates. We’re honestly just doing homework.”

“Technically, I’m an eighth year,” Louis remarks before she can comment. “So if we just take that year and add it to Harry’s, I’m sure we’re fine.”

“Look,” the girls says exasperated. “I don’t make the rules. You can stay here and risk someone else coming along, or one of you can leave and I’ll walk along. It’s your choice.”

“C’mon, lads. We’ll just move this to the common room,” Niall says, poking Harry in his side until he stands up. Louis loves how he’s just a walking stereotype of his House; Niall is the king of avoiding conflict. “Or is that not allowed either?”

The Ravenclaw shrugs. “Not my concern.”

Louis is pretty sure that it’s technically against the rules as well, but none of the Hufflepuffs ever seem to mind that there’s suddenly three extra people from two different Houses on their sofa, and so far no one has snitched on them. It’s so much louder than the library though. He wishes they still had the option to go to the Ravenclaw common room. It’s all studying and no fun over there.

“Great,” Louis says, clapping his hands. Liam winces in front of him at the noise. “Let’s just move this along then, shall we.”

He fucking needs to talk to Harry, a.s.a.p.

The other boys quickly follow him out of the library, Louis noticing the way Niall keeps his wand trained on Harry’s back when he walks down the stairs and he snorts. 

Niall hears him and throws him a glare. “Shut up. I don’t want him fucking falling down the stairs with all those books.”

“The perfect boyfriend, as always,” Louis says with a grin. Niall ignores him.

The Hufflepuff common room is quiet when they get in and Louis immediately flops down on the sofa, tugging Harry down with him. Books tumble down the floor, one of them landing on his little toe. Honestly, he should’ve seen that one coming.

“What-?” Harry asks confused as bends down to stack them all up on a little neat pile. Louis rests his legs on top of Harry’s lap.

“Honestly, are you a wizard or what?”

Harry shrugs. “I like touching them. Feels like something so old shouldn’t be tainted with magic.”

That’s- a very Harry thing to say, Louis reckons. “Right.”

“Lou,” Liam says from where he’s sat down at one of the round tables with Niall. There’s four other students working at a table next to theirs, not even paying attention to the four of them. “Should we write the final paragraph? Or do you wanna-“

“No, ‘s fine if you do it. I’m just gonna have a little chat with H here.”

Liam sends him a look that Louis thinks is a cross between concerned and supportive. Niall just glares at him in suspicion until Liam distracts him.

“A chat?” Harry asks as he sets his books on the little coffee table. Twirling his wand around between his fingers, Louis hums. Last night’s confrontation keeps running through his mind. What if they’ve found him already? Sure, they only slept for five hours but what if that was already too long? Should they’ve done something last night? Send an owl or something?

It takes Harry tickling his feet for him to snap out of it.

“All right, all right. Calm down, Styles,” Louis mumbles, dropping his wand in his lap. When did his hands get so sweaty? 

“Are you all right?” Harry asks concerned, his voice quiet and low. Louis shakes his head.

“Not really? I mean, physically I’m fine. We’re fine. It’s just-“ he takes a breath. What if this was a terrible idea? “-last night I got called to Carrow’s office, right?”

“Oh, Lou,” Harry whispers, but Louis shakes his head again.

“No, honestly, I’m fine. He just wanted to chat. Asked some questions, made some threats, the usual, really.” He hasn’t even told Liam yet what the threats entailed, and he’s never going to, so he just glosses over it. “Anyway, he knows about Nick. Which is shit and fucking terrifying if ‘m honest but nothing that can be done about that now, I guess. It’s just that he... said some things that weren’t that pretty and I talked to Li last night and we figured hiding is the best option for him now.”

Harry nods, his thumbs digging into Louis’ shins. He keeps quiet.

“I’m so sorry, Lou,” Harry whispers. “It shouldn’t be like that.”

“Like I said, nothing we can do about it now,” Louis shrugs. “But we were just- we figured you might be able to help?”

The way Harry immediately sits up straight makes him laugh. “Yeah, whatever I can do, anything.”

The common room is probably too quiet for him to spill all his secrets and he’s putting a lot of trust in those couple of tiny badgers that are giggling at the table closest to them, but it’d even be more suspicious to drag Harry someplace else.

“Remember how you said you spent your holidays transforming your mum’s basement into a hiding spot from your dad? How did that go?”

The way that Harry’s eyes seem to widen slightly at that is just great; it’s amazing how Slytherins are always one step ahead of you.

“Mum wrote she finished that about two weeks ago,” Harry says with a slight smile and Louis grins back at him. “I haven’t heard anything from my dad, but I’m sure she’ll agree that it’s just a waste of effort to let it all gather dust in the mean time. She’s also been complaining about how quiet it’s been without me and Gem there.”

His friends are truly amazing. “Do you think she’d mind? We haven’t really asked Nick yet” -he’s not sure how they’re gonna do that either- “but I think it’s better if we just get him safe as soon as possible.”

“I can write to her now, if you want?” Harry offers, his hand already grabbing in his back looking for a quill. “I was due a letter anyway. I’ll just ask her if she minds if Nick stays at ours a couple of... days? Weeks?”

“Just as long as we figure out another way or until this whole thing bloody ends.”

Harry hums at that, evening a roll of parchment. “Go help your boyfriend. I’ve got this.”

Never let it be said that Harry Styles isn’t the greatest best friend in the whole bloody Wizarding World.

Louis almost springs off the sofa, petting Harry’s curls when he walks past him and flops himself down in Liam’s lap three seconds later.

“All right?” Liam asks softly, his left arm coming up to hold Louis around the waist, his right hand still scribbling away.

“Perfect,” Louis replies, quickly reading over the notes. It might not be completely perfect but he’s met Anne, and he doubts she’ll say no. After all, Harry got his good qualities from someone, and it wasn’t from his dad. “Now, we’re sure this thing is finished, right?”

Niall is staring from him across the table and Louis is sure that Liam filled him in on everything, but he just smiles at Louis. “Yeah, reckon it’s ready to try it out.”

“Bagsy Louis’ arm,” Liam pipes up from behind him. If Louis accidentally steps on Liam’s toes when he tries to lean over to grab whatever Niall has written down, it’s not his fault. Liam’s robes are just really slippery, all right?

*

Anne Styles is an actual angel, because it only takes her an hour to reply once Harry has bribed another poor house-elf into delivering a letter to her. It’s a concerned but enthusiastic yes and she says she can pick Nick up whenever they want if they give her the address.

Writing a letter to go with that address though is a right pain.

_Hi love,_

_How are yo-_

“You can’t start with that,” Liam mutters from over Louis’ shoulder and Louis sighs, casting a Vanishing Charm on the paper. It takes them forty minutes and even more Vanishing Charms and the letter is still rubbish, but it’ll have to do. Every second on the clock, Carrow could be a step closer.

_Hi love,_

_We’re sorry. We know it must seem like one big joke, but we swear whatever Anne’s told you, it’s true. The magic, us being wizards, you not being safe, everything. You have every right to be angry and we won’t blame you if you never want to talk to us again, but you need to promise us that you’ll listen to her and do whatever Anne says, all right? Promise us, Nick. Just trust us._

_Our world is on the brink of war, and we’re in the middle of it. Us dating you is... frowned upon. You’re not safe. We know asking you to leave everything behind is incredibly selfish. Dropping everything you’ve worked so, so hard for for two teenagers seems like an incredibly stupid thing, but please. Please listen to us just this once. We love you and we want you safe and this is the only way. You’re ours forever and some wanker isn’t going to take that away._

_Ask Anne anything you want, we’re sure she’ll answer. Not sure if she’s said it, but she’s Harry’s mum and we think you’ll like her. We’ll answer whatever you questions you have as well. Anything, love._

_Please write us back. Even if it is to let us know to bugger off. It’s okay._

_We love you and miss you,_

_Liam and Louis_

*

There’s no reply for two days.

Harry has assured him that Anne hand-delivered the letter to Nick and that Nick had agreed to come along with her -hadn’t even really put up much fuss, honestly, only about the part where he wouldn’t be able to go to work anymore- but there’s nothing apart from that. No letter. No owl. Nothing.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the end, but it sure as hell feels like it.

*

“Is that ready?”

Niall points at the parchment Louis’ been bent over for about an hour now, the fireplace of the Gryffindor common room heating his back. His right hand is covered in ink and he’s pretty sure that there’s a smear on his left cheek as well, but at least the compass he drew looks relatively close to how he wants it to look. That is, it’s round instead of square.

“Yeah, think so,” he says, sliding the paper over. Niall hums appreciatively, Harry peeking over his shoulder. 

It looks even better from a distance, if he’s honest. Instead of the usual geographic directions, there’s four little symbols; a little tick, a small skull, an exclamation mark and a barely readable ‘s.o.s.’. He’d stolen the idea from the clock at his mum’s house -the one that’s had his and Lottie’s hand on ‘mortal peril’ for months now- and Harry had helped him along with the design. They’d swapped the rose for three stretched-out names, and he knows it’s fucking risky, getting something so _Muggle_ tattooed on him, but whatever. His jumper and cloak should cover it up quite nicely while he’s at Hogwarts and he’s ace at Disillusion Charms.

“It looks great, mate,” Niall says as his fingers trace the small ‘ _Niall’, ‘Liam’_ and _‘Harry_ ’. “They move, right?”

“That’s the idea, yeah. I’ll connect the name to one of you and then like, resting position should be on the tick for ‘safe’, but if anything happens it’ll point to one of the other three.”

“Hurt, danger or needs help,” Harry supplies. Louis nods.

“’s not very subtle though, is it?”

Louis shrugs. “No need to hide it anymore, is there? He knows. Figured I might as well go all out then.” Besides, who even says that Nick will see it?

Harry grabs his design from his back pocket next; three simple nails in a row. It hadn’t even been the plan to tattoo Harry, but Niall still refuses to let Louis or Liam get anywhere close to his skin with their wand, and to pass they all need to show that they put the theory to practice. The Slytherin had been more than willing.

“You are both saps,” Niall says, a glimmer in his eye. “Three nails, H. Really?”

“You’ll be the slightly bigger one,” Harry says with a grin. “Because I love you the most.”

“You love him differently,” Louis supplies. “Everyone knows you love me the most.”

“Oh, bugger off,” Niall scoffs. “You’ve got your own boyfriend. Boyfriends, even. Speaking of, where’s Liam?”

“The coin burned an hour ago, think it was his turn to make sure Snape’s door is still hexed.”

The D.A. coin had been burning almost daily now with announcements and what Harry loves to call ‘rebellious acts’. The skin on his thigh is close to being scorched.

“It still is,” Liam says as he steps through the portrait, Lavender Brown following closely behind him. It’s almost admirable how Harry doesn’t flinch when she glares as she passes him.

It’s then that he notices what Liam’s holding with a grin on his face. “Is that-“

“Think so, yeah. Lila insisted I’d take it, so...”

Suddenly, Louis is nervous. He’s not ready for rejection. Like, he knows it’s inevitable because they lied to Nick and ruined his future, but he’s not quite sure he’s ready to see those words actually written down in his boyfriend’s handwriting. Liam, however, seems to be completely fine, plopping down next to Louis on the carpet.

With a flick of his wand, he’s got the letter opened in front of him and Louis barely notices Harry and Niall taking a few steps back to give them some resemblance of privacy.

_Hiya loves,_

_I’m all right. Confused and a bit hurt but physically fine._

_Anne says they raided my flat last night. I’m not sure who ‘they’ are. Anne called them death eaters and I was too scared to ask. Bit ominous, innit? It’s also not every day that a woman shows up at your door, claiming that magic is real, the blokes you’re dating are wizards and that your life’s in danger._

_Wizards. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that, to be honest. Why didn’t you bloody tell me? Are there any other things I should know? Lou’s not secretly a werewolf, is he? It would explain the cattiness, I guess. (Please tell me those don’t actually exist)._

_Anne said she took care of work and friends and family and I wish I hadn’t asked. Those obliviation spells thingies are reversible right? Like they will remember me again once this is over, won’t they?_

_I have questions. A lot. And I think we should talk. Please come round here when school’s out. I miss you both loads. Be safe, for fuck’s sake._

_Love you,_

_Nick x_

Louis stares at the little x until his sight goes blurry. “He’s fine,” he croaks, turning his head to look at Liam.

“He is,” the boy answers carefully, his hand coming up to swipe Louis’ fringe out of his eye. “That’s good, yeah? He still loves us. It’s all right.”

“Yeah,” Louis whispers. He tries not to read too much into the _‘I think we should talk’._ Nick’s not gonna break up with them is he? He would’ve said so. Wouldn’t have put the love you and miss you in there if he did. He’s not a cruel person.

“You all right?” Harry’s voice is low and soft and Louis shakes himself out of it. He’s not having a breakdown for the second time this week. He’s the oldest one of the lot, he should be comforting them, not the other way around.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” He clears his throat. With a flick of his wand, the letter folds itself again and Louis tucks it in his pocket. “Nick’s fine. Think he’s a bit upset, but nothing we can’t fix.” Probably. “You mind if we do the tattoos tomorrow? Not sure I can guarantee you I won’t muck it up now.”

“Sorry,” Liam adds. He pulls Louis off the floor in one move, arm immediately wrapping around his waist. Louis lets himself be cuddled.

“Nah, mate. In the morning ‘s fine by me. Haz?”

“I’ve got Potions ‘til half ten, so maybe after that?”

Liam lets out a loud laugh at that. “Let me know if Snape shows up.”

“Door to the Headmaster’s office still shrinking?”

“Still shrinking,” Liam confirms with a grin. Rebellion is a good look on him, Louis muses. It makes his eyes go all sparkle-y and happy.

The two of them cuddle up on the sofa after Niall and Harry leave, some second year immediately abandoning her position on the other end. He’s not quite sure what she’s scared of since it’s not like he’s going to jump Liam in the middle of the common room but all right. Gives him the opportunity to stretch out his legs so Liam can sit between his thighs.

“Two more days,” he mumbles against Liam’s neck, nosing the soft skin there. Liam hums in reply, the noise vibrating against Louis’ chest. Louis tugs him a little bit closer.

Two more days and they’re out of this hell-hole for three weeks.

*

“Fucking hell, Horan.” Louis winces when Niall lifts his wand a couple of inches from the skin of his forearm. Black ink immediately becomes visible.

“’m sorry,” Niall mumbles, his head tilt and his lips pursed. “Reckon we should’ve figured out how to add a spell to numb the pain.”

“Too late for that now. It looks sick, though.”

The compass stands out in stark contrast against the skin of this forearm, slightly red from where the wand was pressed hard against it. All the names are pointed at the little tick and Louis hopes with all his heart that they’ll stay there after the next bit.

“Want me to do the spell next?” Niall asks and Louis nods. Better to get it over with immediately.

“Will it hurt?” Harry pipes up behind him, crossed-legged on the floor while Lottie braids his hair quickly but carefully. What she’s even doing here is a mystery. He’s pretty sure she’d never set a foot in the Gryffindor common room before, but Harry had brought her along after he’d seen her by herself in the Slytherin one. Louis knows better than to comment.

“Not a clue.” Niall could probably sound a bit less excited about that, but Louis still puts his arm back on the table.

“Let’s see then.”

It doesn’t hurt at all, not even a bit, and Louis is not sure if it’s worked. Shouldn’t he feel... something? A little tingle? Some magic flowing through him? Niall’s peering at his arm as well, a thoughtful frown on his face, and Liam’s fingers coming out to poke at him. Louis’ is about to bat his hand away when there’s a loud ‘fuck!’ from behind him and the little ‘Harry’ hand on Louis arm immediately moves to the little skull.

All three boys simultaneously turn around to stare at Harry, who’s gripping his head with a pout on his face.

“What? She tugged on my hair and it hurt.”

Niall laughs and Louis groans. “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I? Didn’t think this through at all. Don’t think he’s ever made it to one of the towers before without tripping over some steps once, have you? It’s gonna be on _hurt_ constantly and this tattoo will be useless once we actually need it.”

The sheepish smile Harry sends his way does nothing to reassure him. 

“At least we know it works?” Liam offers, falling into the chair next to him. “C’mon, do me.”

“Please, there are little children present!”

“Oh, shut up, Styles,” Louis shoots back at him, gently pulling Liam’s arm on the table. “You’re the bloody child here.”

Lottie hums in agreement, her wand flying across Harry’s hair. There’s pastel-coloured sparks coming from the tip of it and Louis isn’t sure if the older Slytherin is aware that this is turning into a complete makeover. Still, he’ll figure it out soon enough.

“Ready?” He asks Liam, his wand coming up to his arm. The birch wood is a bit battered after seven years, but the tip still looks as good as ever and that’s all that matters according to Niall.

“Please make them straight,” Liam begs and Louis promises before he puts his wand to Liam’s forearm, mumbling spells under his breath and tries not to jump when Liam starts squeezing his thigh when the pain hits.

He’s quite proud of himself an hour later, when Liam’s tattoo actually looks like four chevrons and not two squiggly Aquarius signs next to each other.

Watching Liam tattoo Harry turns out to be quality entertainment, with Liam apologising every ten seconds and Harry’s eyes getting more dazed with each passing minute. Louis can’t help but nudge Niall in his side, even throwing in an eyebrow wiggle once he noticed how wide Harry’s pupils have got.

“Don’t say a word,” Niall whispers vehemently, his eyes completely fixed on his boyfriend. “Not a word, Tomlinson.”

“Wouldn’t dare,” Louis grins. He’s not going to mention Harry’s obviously strained trousers if Niall doesn’t mention the way that Liam’s tongue is poking out in concentration. It’s bloody adorable.

The end result looks fine to Louis -there’s not much you can do wrong about three nails, he guesses- but Liam’s got this look in his eyes like he massively fucked up.

“The right one is a bit... swishy.”

“McGonagall isn’t going to deduct points for graphic execution, Leemo.”

“I love it,” Harry states, his fingers coming up to rub over his arm. “Now, put a spell on me and kick a table or something. I wanna know if it works.”

Liam does exactly that, mumbling the spell under his breath and then quickly kicking his bare foot against the leg of the table, grimacing when his little toe catches the edge of it.

“It works!” Harry exclaims, turning to look at Louis and Niall with bright eyes. “It’s all tingly and stuff!”

“We worked for bloody weeks on that spell and all you can come up with is ‘tingly and stuff’? Ta, mate.”

“It’s a good tingly?” Harry tries, his eyes wide. Louis hums. Everyone’s name has moved back to _safe_ now and he tries not to wonder for how long that will last. He had felt some sort of tingle though; a rush of magic that had flowed through him and he hadn’t even had to guess who’s hand had moved because he’d sort of just _knew_. It’ll be interesting to see if that was just a one-time thing or if he’s going to have that rush through his body for _the rest of his life_. Merlin, he hopes that Harry will grow into his limbs sometime soon.

“Anyone want a cuppa?” Lottie’s voice suddenly asks and she’s next to them, levitating five cups in the air in front of her. Louis immediately grabs a mug before she gets too distracted or tired and drops them all -she is a first year, after all- and then squints his eyes at her.

“What do you want?”

“Can’t I just bring you a cup of tea?” She sounds innocent enough, but Louis knows better. They’re all the same, those Slytherins.

“Spit it out.”

“Can I get a ta-“

“No,” Louis interrupts, ignoring Niall’s laughter. “Absolutely not. Mum would kill me.”

“Loubear-“

“No. Get back to me after you’ve passed your O.W.L.S. and I’ll consider it. Until then, not a word. All right?”

She splutters a bit at that, but sighs and agrees. Louis makes a mental note to properly hide all the research him, Niall and Liam have done because he hasn’t got a doubt that she’ll try and look for it. He swears that she’s even craftier than he was at her age. Must be the Tomlinson blood..

They spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around in the Hufflepuff common room, with Niall leaving for Care of Magical Creatures after lunch and him and Liam popping out for a double Dark Arts class right before dinner.

Carrow keeps giving him the side eye during class and Louis tries to act normal, not even shuddering when the man shows them examples of the Sectumsempra curse. He doesn’t even flinch when the Muggles on the moving photos in the front of the class scream, instead grabbing Liam’s hand beneath their desk and squeezing it tightly.

 _Just one more day,_ he repeats to himself. _Just gotta survive one more day._

*

In all of his years at Hogwarts, Louis has never been an especially bright student. Sure, all his O.W.L.S. had been Es when he finally had a chance to take him and he’d even managed to obtain an O for Charms and Muggle Studies, but academics aren’t really his thing. He’d rather be outside on the Quidditch pitch in the pouring rain or at Honeydukes buying Liam sweets in the middle of winter than in a stuffy classroom or the library. 

Which is why he’s pretty sure he’s misheard McGonagall and she didn’t just say: “I must say, I am very impressed by your work, gentlemen.”

It’s seems like Niall can’t believe it either, judging by the way his jaw has slightly dropped. Luckily for them, it takes more than a little teacher’s praise to stun Liam.

“Thank you, Professor.” His arm is still clutched against his chest, robe rolled up to his elbow and four pitch-black chevrons on display.

There’s scrolls and scrolls of parchment on McGonagall’s desk and they hadn’t really expected her to read through everything when they’d come in, but they’ve been standing in the same spot for thirty minutes now, not saying a word.

“And all three of you are able to perform the spell as well?”

Niall nods. “Yes. I did Louis’, Louis did it on Liam and Liam did one on Harry.”

It’s like she hadn’t noticed the younger boy had been here as well, pressed against the wall closest to the door. Harry gives her a little wave when she looks his way, grin on his face. All he gets in return is a nod, but he seems pleased nonetheless.

“Would it be possible to show the working without causing either one of you lasting harm or without all of you ending up in detention?”

“Oh, yes. Wait-“ Louis mumbles, waving Harry closer. The other boy doesn’t even blink when Louis rolls up the sleeve of his left arm, exposing the three nails. He then reaches behind him and pinches Niall. The right nail turns slightly less black and Louis grins pleased when he hears McGonagall’s little gasp.

His own tattoo throbs just a tiny bit and they really, really didn’t think this through enough.

“So we figured out that the tattoo changes colour depending on the severity of the pain or danger as well,” Louis explains. “A little pinch like that will only make it slightly lighter, but someone hexed Niall yesterday in the corridor and it definitely turned a pink-red colour then and the throbbing was a bit more persistent. Niall?”

Niall fishes his wand out of his back pocket and for a second it looks like McGonagall is going to protest but she keeps quiet. Louis takes a few steps from Liam, standing in front of the Hufflepuff and Liam walks up to McGonagall, telling her to watch his arm.

The Stinging Hex stings a lot more than anticipated and Louis falls backwards, Harry’s arms catching him and preventing him from hitting his head on the tiles. Harry’s tattoo feels hot pressed against Louis’ cheek. Louis’ ankle immediately starts swelling up and he tries not to hiss in pain when Niall carefully presses an antidote against it. Whoever suggested this was a bloody idiot.

When he’s back on his feet, slightly limping and shivers all over his body, McGonagall is running her finger over Liam’s arms. Louis has to bite back a grin when he sees the uncomfortable look on the boy’s face.

“This is magnificent,” McGonagall mumbles. “And you said you had a spell to reverse the binding as well?”

Louis nods. If they hadn’t, he’d have never let Liam bind Nick to one of the chevrons with the hair they’d found on the shirt in the bottom of Louis’ trunk. “We did, Professor. We haven’t tried it out yet but it should work fine, we think. It’s somewhere in those scrolls.”

“I must say, you have exceeded all my expectations.”

When they walk out two minutes later, it’s with a spring in their step and the knowledge that they somehow managed to pass Transfiguration with an ‘O’. Go figure.

*

“Louis, for fuck’s sake, lie still and be quiet.”

Seamus’ voice rings through the dormitory and Louis huffs into his pillow. Liam is fast asleep in the bed next to him, curtains pulled closed.

“I’m trying,” he whines, flopping onto his back. He’s bloody bricking seeing Nick tomorrow again. It’s making his stomach all upset and his mind is running a mile a minute because what if it all goes to shit tomorrow?

“Try harder.”

Well, that’s easier said than done, innit?

*

It takes him only five minutes before he’s fast asleep against the window of the Hogwarts Express. Someone has the decency to at least wake him up when the trolley comes by so he can buy some Beans and Chocolate Frogs to give to Nick, but he nods off as soon as the door to their compartment is closed again.

He never really did get that sleep last night, no matter how much he’d tossed and turned and the rocking of the train has never made him not sleepy.

By the time all of them step of the train, Liam has tugged an Adidas sweatshirt over his head and the twilight has set in. Louis lets himself be tugged towards his mum and Anne, the two happily chatting together, and he feels slightly more awake when he’s got his mum’s arms wrapped around him.

“Hi,” Louis grins when he’s done breathing in her unmistakable air of home. God, he’s missed her.

“Hi, love,” she whispers in his ear. “You all right?”

Louis nods at her, letting go of her so Lottie can have her turn and he leans back into Liam. He watches how Harry clings to his mum, Niall standing awkwardly at the side with his hands in his pocket. When the other boy catches his eye, Louis winks.

“Are you staying with Harry for Easter then, love?”

Guilt starts to creep up when he realises he’s actually never told his mum what happened. “I- probably for the whole break? I’m so sorry. It’s just that- you know- Ni-“

“Don’t,” Jay hisses, her eyes darting across the platform. Louis immediately shuts up. “It’s nice that you’re gonna help Anne degnome the garden and help her with the house when Harry and Niall are in Ireland. Just write me sometime?”

It’s Liam who replies. “I’ll make sure he does.”

Jay looks satisfied with that, giving Louis another kiss on his forehead before she tugs Lottie under her arm. “We’re going to go then. See you this summer, yeah? Write me. I’m serious, Louis.”

He manages to nod, giving them a little wave as he watches them go through the barrier. Was he really so stupid that he almost blabbed his biggest secret on a train station full of people? His mum must have known; Anne must have told her. When he looks at the woman, she’s watching him with her brows furrowed.

“You guys hungry?” She asks as she’s let her son go, petting his curls while she looks at the rest of them.

“Starving,” Niall confesses and Liam hums in agreement.

“Off we go then. Got Clara to fix us a little roast, if you’re all up for that.”

Louis doesn’t think that he could eat, even if he were hungry, but Niall perks up at the mention of food. He obediently follows the others out of the station, dragging his trunk behind him, Liam’s hand still pressed against his lower back. The fact that it shakes just a little makes him feel slightly better.

*

By the time the impressive silhouette of Styles Mansion comes into view, his nerves have seemed to calm down. It’s just Nick. It’s just the boy who’d almost spilled his vodka cherry coke all over Liam and then proceeded to step on Louis’ toes while apologising. It’s just the boy who Louis is sure loves him just as fiercely as he loves him. It’s just the boy who writes him stupid notes and sticks them on the mirror for him to see in the morning.

Anne’s holding the door open for them, the two of them the last ones to enter. Harry’s and Niall’s voices ring out from the dining room on the right and Louis thanks Anne as they slip in.

“Fifth door to the right, take the stairs down,” Anne says with a smile. “Tap the bottom right stone, three up and six left across. The wards will let you through. Supper is in fifteen. Please do come on time because I’m afraid Niall won’t leave any leftovers.”

“Thank you,” Liam says. Louis can hear the excitement in his voice and he squeezes the hand he’s holding. _Nick’s here._

He doesn’t run through the hall, but it’s close. Liam laughs behind him, sprinting to catch up with him.

“Calm down,” he yells, almost bumping into Louis’ back when the latter suddenly stops in the middle of the hallway.

“Ready?”

“Never been more ready. Just open the open door, Lou.”

The two of them rush down the stairs, ending up in a cellar that doesn’t span more than two Firebolts and Liam squats down in front of the wall across the stairs. He taps his wand against stones, grinning sheepishly at Louis’ _‘the other left, love.”_

As far as magic goes, it’s very impressive. The stones form themselves into an archway, and when Louis reaches his hand out to touch the gray veil that has appeared, it disappears out of sight. Shrugging, he steps through it.

The first thing he notices is how nice the place looks, like an actual proper living room with a sofa that looks to die for and cotton-scented candles burning everywhere.

The second thing he notices is Nick standing with his back against the fire place, a smile on his face and dressed in one of Louis’ hoodies. It’s tight, but it somehow works. Louis laughs -from relief or happiness, he isn’t sure- and he sprints across the room. Nick’s arms catch him expertly when he jumps at him, only swaying a little bit to regain his balance as Louis squeezes his legs and arms around him.

“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he mumbles into Nick’s hood, nuzzling the fabric there. It smells like cotton and fire and it’s even better than the smell of Hogwarts when it’s Christmas Eve.

When he hears Liam’s footsteps approaching, he slowly releases his grip on Nick, pecking him once on the lips before he steps aside. Immediately, Liam’s in the same spot, grinning so brightly at Nick that the corners of his eyes scrunch up.

“Hi,” he whispers and Nick tugs him in with a laugh, his head coming up to rest on top of Liam’s head. Louis lets them alone for twenty seconds, before he squishes himself against Nick’s side.

They can’t really blame him, can they?

“You’re all right, yeah?” Louis asks, exhaling in relief when he feels Nick nod.

“Even better now,” Nick replies, his arm coming up to wrap itself around Louis shoulder. Louis sighs happily.

“We’re sorry,” Liam starts, his voice slightly mumbles by how his face is pressed against Nick’s chest and Louis’ shoulder.

Nick snorts. “You better be. It’s all right, though. Had some time to think about it and I think I understand.”

“’m glad,” Liam mumbles and Louis nods in agreement. So, so glad. The gladdest ever.

“I do still have some questions.”

“We can answer them,” Liam says, his voice laced with sincerity. “Anything, Nick. We’ll answer anything.”

“Let’s have dinner first, yeah? Then we’ll have a chat.”

Nick lets go of the both of them, but not before he’s pressed a kiss to Liam’s nose and swiped Louis’ fringe out of his eyes. Louis’ heart flutters and he snorts. It’s like he’s bloody fourteen with a crush on Cho Chang all over again.

“Are you all right to go up?” Liam asks, his brows furrowed. Louis pokes him in the side, leading him towards the veil, which looks just like a regular door from this side.

Like he said: impressive.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Nick says as he leads them up the stairs again after he’s tapped the top stop in the arch to turn it back into a wall again. “Anne’s said that the whole place is guarded, just that the basement is safer because of the extra spells or summat. I can go wherever really, I just like to stay down here. Keeps me out of the way and it’s actually quite nice. Never had a proper fireplace before.”

It’s weird to hear Nick mention things like spells so casually, but Louis’ been studying his face the whole time and he doesn’t seem to be particularly bothered. He’ll probably still keep his wand in his pocket for the time being, though. Just to be sure. 

*

Dinner is so unexpectedly normal and _Muggle_ that Louis is thrown off for the remainder of the meal. No one mentions Quidditch, there’s no endless discussions of Daily Prophet articles and Niall uses his hands instead of wandless magic to steal bites of Harry’s mash off his plate.

By the time they’ve finished pudding and Liam, Nick and him are cuddled up in the gigantic four poster bed in the basement while Niall and Harry are re-packing their trunks for their trip to Ireland in the morning, Louis is still amazed at everyone’s ability to adapt to Nick so effortlessly.

“’s it okay if I take my top off?” Nick asks from his spot in the middle. “I’m bloody hot with you two on top of me.”

Liam makes an unhappy noise from where he’s pressed against Nick’s left side, his legs all tangled up with the older man’s. “Fine. If you have to.”

Louis snorts, making room for Nick to pull his shirt over his head before cuddling in close again. It’s too quiet then and Louis figures they’re bound to talk about this gigantic dragon in the room sometime.

“So,” he starts. “Magic.”

Nick laughs, tugging softly on Louis’ hair. “Magic.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Liam asks, his fingers scratching through Nick’s chest hair. Louis can’t be sure, but it looks a bit thicker than the last time they were in this position.

“I think so, yeah.”

“Are you all right with it?”

Nick makes a sound in the back of his throat. “With magic, you mean?”

“Yeah,” Louis mumbles. “Or like- with us having magic.”

“Hmm, reckons so yeah. ‘s a bit weird though, innit? I figured something fishy was going on when your letters always arrived without stamps-”  
Louis groans. “They did not. Anne is a smart woman.”

“Nah,” Nick grins. “The no phone thing was weird though and I always wondered why your mums sent you to boarding school all the way in bloody Scotland but it makes sense now though, doesn’t it?”

“Electricity doesn’t work at Hogwarts,” Liam explains. “So there’s no phone.”

“That’s bloody mad. How do you get anything done then? Do you all live in the Middle Ages at that school of yours? No electricity, honestly.”

“We use magic. Spells, enchantments, things like that.”

“Right. Of course.”

Nick is quiet for a bit and Louis wants to tell him more, so much more, but he doesn’t want to overwhelm the other man or make him run off if things suddenly get too real. Some Muggle-borns take weeks to get used to the fact that magic is real and they’ve had first hand experiences with it. All Nick has is the things Anne told him.

“Are you both like- born with it?” Nick asks next.

“Sort of?” Louis answers. “My mum is a witch, so I grew up in the Wizarding World after my dad had left. ‘s like- you can’t really do magic when you’re younger, but you start showing little bursts of magic when you get older. I used to turn my mum’s owls purple whenever I was throwing a fit or flowers would suddenly start to grow all over the garden when I was feeling really happy. Getting my letter to Hogwarts when I was eleven wasn’t really a surprise.” 

“Same for me,” Liam says. “My parents are both wizards, and my sisters are witches as well. I didn’t start showing signs of magic until right before my eleventh birthday though. I think it’s different for everyone.”

“Why did you never tell me?”

It’s not an unexpected question, but it still throws Louis off a bit. He looks pleadingly at Liam.

“There’s... laws,” Liam says carefully. “It’s to keep us safe. Nobody really wants a repeat of the fifteenth century with witches being burned at the stake. ‘s why we never told you. We’re not allowed to reveal ourselves to Muggles.”

“Muggles?”

“Non-magic people,” Louis explains.

“You broke the law to keep me safe?” Nick sounds surprised at that, his hand stilling in Louis’ hair. Louis pinches him to make him continue. None of that sappiness, thank you very much.

“Yeah,” Liam says, matter of fact. “The Ministry is completely fucked now, anyway. They probably won’t even find out.”

“Were you ever going to tell me if this hadn’t happened?”

Louis doesn’t look at Nick when he answers. “I don’t know. Not anytime soon, I think. Maybe later.”

“I think you would’ve figured it out yourself,” Liam adds quietly. “You’re clever and Lou and I have almost slipped up so many times already. I don’t think it would’ve been that long before you’d have figured it out.”

“Fair enough,” Nick says before he yawns loudly. “Soz.”

“Nah, ‘s all right. We should probably sleep.”

He hasn’t got a clue what time it is, but he’s struggling to keep his eyes open. Liam mumbles in agreement, already rolling off Nick to tug his trousers off in one movement. Louis is impressed. He moves a little out of the way so Nick can tug the covers over them, getting rid of his own shirt at the same time.

“We’ll talk more tomorrow, yeah?” Liam mutters sleepily once the three of them all have settled under the Slytherin-green blanket. It’s followed by the unmistakable sound of kissing and Louis scrunches up his nose. He’s out if this turns into one big snog-fest.

“Don’t pull that face,” Nick mutters against Liam’s lip and Louis is pretty sure he can’t see him from there, but he’s still pretty sure that’s directed at him. “I’ll kiss my boyfriend when I want to, Tomlinson.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis mutters jokingly. “Just save a kiss for me, all right?”

Nick turns around at, rolling over on his other side and pressing his lips against Louis’. “Now, make yourself useful and turn off the lights, will yah? Light switch is on the outside of the door.”

_“Nox.”_

“Show off,” Nick grumbles, rolling over on his back and tugging both him and Liam into his side. Louis is pretty sure all three of them will never fall asleep like that, but it’s one of his favourite places to be; tucked under Nick’s arm and Liam close enough that he can rest his hand on the other boy’s hip. 

*

When he wakes up, it’s with one leg hanging over the edge of the bed and one of Nick’s arms wrapped around his torso, his fingers tracing the dark lines of his tattoo.

“Morning,” Louis whispers hoarsely, stretching out his back without jostling Nick too much.

“Morning love,” Nick replies, nosing behind Louis ears. He shivers. “Is this a new addition or have I been completely oblivious the past eight months?”

“’s new.”

The sluggish feeling of not being properly awake hasn’t left him yet and he burrows himself a little bit closer to Nick, sighing contently. They should just stay in bed _forever_. The house-elves could bring them food. 

“It looks great. When did you get it done?”

Louis sighs. He doesn’t know what time it is, but it’s too early for talking. “Two days.”

Nick immediately withdraws his fingers. “Fuck, am I even allowed to touch it then? Sorry, love.”

“’s magic. ‘s okay.” It’s actually quite nice, but he doesn’t say that out loud.

“Of course it is. Is that Liam’s name?”

Louis nods against his chest. “Yeah.”

“You’re mad.” Nick doesn’t really sound like he means it, since Louis can hear the fondness in his voice. He’s not fooled.

“Liam’s got one for you,” he mumbles, pulling the covers just that little bit higher, so the both of their heads are barely sticking out.

“He does not,” Nick replies.

“Does too. His arm. Where’s Li?”

“Think he said something about going on a run with Harry before him and Niall leave. Was a bit early, didn’t really hear. He’ll be back I think. ”

“Good.” It means they can sleep a bit more, then. A happy sigh escapes his lips as he turns over on his other side, his head tucked under Nick’s chest.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you for a bit?”

Louis groans, nipping slightly at Nick’s collarbones. They don’t need to talk, they need to sleep. He hasn’t had a proper sleep in what feels like weeks and Nick is ruining his bliss.

“Lou, c’mon. I’m serious.”

“Fine,” Louis huffs, but only because Nick actually does sound serious and maybe because he can detect a small tremble in Nick’s voice. He’s quite positive he’s actually not that scary to talk to, but all right.

“I just-“ Nick takes a deep breath and Louis’ hand comes up to pet Nick’s stomach. That’s comforting, innit? “Right. Liam and I... we... this morning- there really isn’t an easy way to say this, is there?”

“I don’t know?” Louis says carefully, pulling back a bit so he can look at Nick’s face. He tries to ignore the dread creeping up in his stomach. _Let him finish talking before you start freaking out,_ Louis thinks. Still, it doesn’t sound like Nick’s going to tell him anything he’ll enjoy. 

“I’m just-,” Nick seems to struggle for words. Louis hums encouragingly. “I thought we wouldn’t have to talk about this so soon because I know what I said but maybe we should because this morning- and I know you said you’re not interested in that stuff and that’s _fine_ , completely fine, I respect that, Liam does too, but it’s just that it’s really hard- and we wouldn’t do anything you wouldn’t want us to do and it’s fine if we never got to but I just think that we should talk about it because I don’t want anyone-“

“You’re rambling, love,” Louis interrupts, the corners of his mouth pulled up. The dread in his stomach is gone, replaced by relief. He’s been expecting this for months now. “’s all right. Just say it, yeah?”

“I want to have sex,” Nick blurts out, his eyes concerned and wild. The arm around Louis’ back tightens, almost painfully so. “With Liam. And you as well because I love you but I know you don’t-“

“All right,” Louis interrupts again, causing Nick to blink down at him. “It’s all right.”

“It... is?”

“Yeah,” Louis says. “I’ve been expecting it, sort of? I know we all said we wouldn’t have this talk until Liam was eighteen but the situation is a bit different now, innit? Tell me why you want to?”

Louis scrunches his nose when Nick presses his lips to the tip of it.

“I want-“ Nick says, taking a pause. He sounds a lot more confident now that Louis hasn’t immediately said _no_ and Louis tangles his fingers with the ones resting on his hip. It shouldn’t be scary to talk to him, especially not about this. “I want to be close to you. Take care of you, I guess. The both of you.”

“You do take care of us,” Louis mumbles softly, pressing his forehead against Nick’s.

“I’m... glad. I just- I love kissing you, love. I do. It’s one of my favourite things to do.” Louis hums in agreement. It’s one of his favourite things as well. “But the idea that I could be even closer to you, share another part of me? I’d love that, as well.”

“You want the intimacy,” Louis supplies and grins when Nick nods at that. “That’s all right. I’m- I’m not sure I want that? Like, I obviously want to be close to you, you know that, but I think... Maybe sex will be just a you-and-Liam thing?”

“Whatever you’re comfortable with, Lou,” Nick reassures him, earnest look on his face.

It’s the first time anyone apart from Liam has said that, and Louis blinks at him. It all sounds so simple and easy, with the way that Nick is reacting and no one throwing a fit -that bastard Adrian Pucey had thrown him out of the Slytherin common room three years ago after Louis had admitted that he’d rather not have sex, thank you very much- and it’s nice. Still...

“I know we’ve had this conversation before but like- sex gives me the same feeling as cleaning out cauldrons. It doesn’t do anything for me, and I can do it if I have to but I’d rather not? I like cuddles, I like holding your hand and I like kissing. That’s all the intimacy I need. I don’t want sex.”

Nick is silent for a while and then: “Cleaning out cauldrons?”

“Ugh, yes. Terrible. You would not believe the amount of shit that gets stuck to the bottom. It’s gotta be done, but I don’t like it.” He presses a kiss to Nick’s cheek.

“’s a bit like doing the laundry then, innit?”

“Never done that before in me life, but I guess so.”

Nick pinches his side before he smoothes it over with a soft hand. Louis glares at him, anyway. “But- It’d be all right? Me and Liam?”

“Yeah, of course,” Louis says. “’s long as Liam’s all right with it and nobody is sticking anything up my bum, I honestly don’t care what you two do. ”

He does -care a bit, that is- but he doesn’t _mind._

“Do you- do you want to be there?”

That gives Louis a bit of a pause, because he hadn’t actually thought about that. Does he want to be there? Would he be fine with watching Liam and Nick take each other apart while he was sitting on the sidelines? He’s not sure he could. He _craves_ attention and he’s not sure he could just be in the same room with both his boys while they ignore him in favour of each other. He’s also not sure he could be reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_ if Nick and Liam were in the bedroom doing whatever wicked things they’d get up to.

“Would you talk to me? During? Kiss me?” Louis asks, his voice slightly muffled by Nick’s skin.

“Yeah, ‘f course. Anything you want.”

“Then yeah, please. Would that be all right?”

“Of course it’s all right, for fuck’s sake!”

It’s not Nick’s voice that rings through the room but Liam’s, and Louis cranes his head in confusion. Liam’s standing in the doorway of the bedroom, face red and covered in sweat, his chest bare. Louis feels Nick swallow next to him and he sniggers.

“How long have you been there?” Louis asks, turning on his back and resting on his elbows.

“Since you started talking about cleaning cauldrons.”

“Ah.”

Liam comes a bit closer, his knees resting on the end of the bed. “It’s more than all right if you’re there, Lou. Just- why are you talking about this without me?”

He doesn’t sound hurt, not really, but Louis still feels like they did something wrong.

“’s my fault,” Nick says, his hand reaching out so Liam knows he’s welcome anytime to cuddle up with them. Louis’ isn’t sure if Nick knows how sweaty Liam is right now, but he’d not like the other boy in bed with him in this state. “Just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t ask you something that’d hurt Lou.”

“About sex?”

Liam’s crawled over the bed now, lying starfished on top of Louis and Nick. He really does smell something terrible. Louis still tangles their fingers together.

Nick hums. “Yeah. Would that be all right with you?”

“What about all that _‘no, we can’t, Liam. Not until you’re eighteen. I don’t care about the age of consent, I’m not having sex with a kid for god’s sake,_ ” Liam’s voice is a flawless imitation of Nick’s high pitch and Louis snorts. He has to admit, Nick had been very adamant about that when he’d realised the age difference between him and Liam had been four years. Louis had brought up being asexual within their third date and all Nick had said was ‘that’s all right because sex is off the table anyway until little Liam is of age.’

Oh, how the times have changed. 

“Things are a bit different now, aren’t they?” Nick replies. Louis guesses they are, with the fact that none of them are quite safe now and who knows if they’re all still together after this bloody mess is over.

“So can we now? Today?”

Louis laughs at the hopeful look on Liam’s face, bringing his hand up to press a kiss against his wrist.

“Take a shower first,” Louis suggest before Nick can reply. “You smell.”

Liam nods. “But- then we can?”

Nick looks at Louis over Liam’s shoulder and Louis shrugs. Might as well.

“Sure. If you want.”

“I do. Want, that is,” Liam says, before he gets up with a groan. A bit of the covers sticks to his skin and Louis grimaces at that. He’ll have to get his wand out later to get the smell of exercise out of there. Louis watches him step into the bathroom, immediately curling back into Nick when the door closes.

“Sleep,” he mumbles, tugging Nick’s arms back around his body and pressing his nose to the little hairs.

“You know it’ll be the fastest shower he’s ever taken, right?”

“Don’t care. Nap. Ask him about his tattoo when he gets back and let me sleep a bit longer.”

He feels rather than hears Nick laugh behind him. “All right, love. I will.”

In the end, he doesn’t fall asleep, because Liam’s loudly singing _Magic Works_ in the shower and Nick can’t stop silently laughing behind him, but that’s all right. He’ll catch up on sleep later. 

*

“-and then there’s Ravenclaw, which is full of people who are too smart for their own good, I swear. If they all were become best mates with the Slytherins, they’d be one step closer to world domination.”

“Let me guess, you’re a Gryffindor.”

Louis huffs. He doesn’t like Nick’s tone. “Liam is one as well, thank you very much.”

“Of course he is.” Nick definitely sounds fond. Louis should just have stuck to a rough description of the Houses and he should have never, ever told him some of the traits that people in the Houses share.

“Proud of it,” Liam mumbles from his spot on the rug. “Could you imagine being in any other House? Could you imagine being a Slytherin?”

“What’s wrong with Slytherin?” Nick asks confused. “You just said they’re ambitious. That doesn’t sound too bad. Isn’t your best mate a Slytherin?”

“Harry and my sister are the only two nice ones. The rest of them are just a bunch of twats.”

“Oh.” Nick pauses to prod the fire. “So we don’t like Slytherin?”

“That’s right, Nicholas. We don’t.”

*

Nick’s staring with wide eyes at his hand, Louis’ hand on top of his so the Chocolate Frog doesn’t escape. It had been quite a challenge to get Nick to actually pick something from behind his back, because apparently he’s not ‘very trustworthy’ to quote Liam, but it’s worth the look on Nick’s face.

“It... moves?” Nick says confused, looking at Liam who’s sitting at the small dining table, writing a letter to his parents. Liam nods without looking up.

“It does.”

“How? It’s chocolate.”

“Magic,” Louis grins, carefully lifting his hand a bit so Nick can see the frog hop around. “’s great, isn’t it?”

“It’s mad,” is what Nick says in reply, and all right. Louis will take ‘mad’. “Can you really eat this?”

“Of course,” Louis scoffs. “It’s really good too. Like, most people get them to collect the cards and stuff but I think you’ll like the chocolate. Very milky.”

“Oh, what card does he have?” Liam speaks up, suddenly interested.

Louis picks the box from Nick’s lap, struggling so he doesn’t let go of Nick’s hand. The card comes falling out without a problem and Louis sighs when he sees the portrait.

“It’s Almeric Sawbridge,” he says. Nick stares at him.

“I already have that one,” Liam grumbles, bending back over, apparently done with the conversation.

“What does it say?” Nick asks, squinting at the back of the card. Their hands are getting quite clammy and they’ll have to eat the frog soon if they don’t want him to melt.

“ _Famous for conquering the river troll that was terrorising those trying to cross the Wye River. River troll in question believed to be one of the largest ever to exist in Britain with a weight of one tonne._

“Trolls. Right.” Nick clears his throat. “Definitely completely normal.”

“Just as normal as vampires and dragons and all that,” Louis says with a grin. Nick’s face turns white at that, but Louis’ thinks he’s fine.

“Right.”

“Now, eat up. I’ve brought you another present. You like weird flavours, right?”

*

They hand Nick one of their copies of _A History of Magic_. He’s bound to get bored sometime when him and Liam return to Hogwarts, Louis figures, so he might as well do some informative reading then.

Besides, now that they don’t have to explain every single detail of how magic came to be, they’ve got more time to focus on the actual fun stuff.

Like Quidditch.

“You are kidding me.”

Nick’s staring at the broom Louis is holding, an old Nimbus that Harry’s dad once got him and Harry proceeded to never use. Anne assured him it was safe.

“Nope,” Louis grins.

“You actually fly on brooms.”

“Out of all the things we’ve shown you these past couple of days, that’s the thing you’re most surprised by?”

Liam sounds amused, holding another spare broom, his eyes twinkling. Niall and Harry had left yesterday. Normally, Louis isn’t particularly fond of playing Quidditch with only two players -most of the moves that he likes practicing require at least four players- but he’d stay out here all day just for the look on Nick’s face. It’s some cross between amazed and disturbed.

“I don’t believe you,” Nick states, glaring up at Louis from where he’s sitting on the grass. The garden of Styles Mansion is enormous, with wards and protection all over the place. Louis still feels exposed. Nick’s refusing to get his arse back inside though, claiming that he’s been cooped up for far too long already. Liam hadn’t been too proud to beg, but yet, here they are.

“I’ll show you then,” Louis says, swinging his leg over the broom and kicking off. The rush is amazing. It’s not the best broom available but it still gets him up in the air in no time at all, the wind rushing past him. It gets his blood pumping, the adrenalin racing through his body. Merlin, he’s missed being on a broom.

When he peeks down, Nick’s wide eyes are not hard to make out.

Leaning a bit forward, he steers himself down again, trying to stay as straight as he possibly can. Liam’s got an eyebrow raised, unimpressed, when Louis lands with both feet on the ground again.

“Really?” Liam asks, bending down to sit next to Nick.

“Better to give him the full experience, innit?”

Nick looks like he strongly disagrees. “Has anyone ever died on those things?”

“Oh, loads of people,” Louis answers. Nick blanches. “Not so much from the flying, I think, but the matches can be quite violent. Doesn’t happen often though, so honestly, it’s fine. Completely safe.”

“Matches?”

“Quidditch matches!” Louis replies enthusiastically, but Liam interrupts him.

“It’s our kind of football,” he explains, which, hello- Louis knew that as well. He’s been taking Muggle Studies for years now, he’s not completely oblivious. He’s still not too good with electricity and appliances, but he knows about _football_. He’s still a little upset Nick can’t actually take him to that Manchester United game that he’d promised they could. “It’s played in the air with the players on brooms and you try to throw the Quaffle, some sort of ball, through the hoops.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Louis snorts. “There’s also the Snit-“

“Nick is never gonna play, I think he’s fine, babe.”

Nick looks like he agrees, so Louis wisely keeps his mouth shut. It’s amazing how some people just don’t care for the best sport on the planet, but all right. He’ll teach Nick all about it later.

“Do you want to have a go?” he says instead, pointing to the broom. Nick laughs.

“I don’t think I could sit on that for even two seconds without falling off, love.”

Louis can see that, sort of. “You can come with one of us, if you want. Just for a bit.”

“We’ll stay low,” Liam adds, his hand reaching out to touch Nick’s knee. “We would be really careful.”

Nick actually seems to be considering it, looking at Louis with a thoughtful look on his face. Liam keeps rubbing his knee.

“You’re not allowed to get offended when I pick one of you over the other.”

“Of course not.” He definitely will. Everyone knows he’s the better flyer out of the two of them.

“All right. I wanna go with Liam.”

Liam lets out a delighted _woop_ but Louis just squints his eyes at Nick. “Nicholas!”

“You said you wouldn’t be offended! Do you honestly blame me?”

“I’m a pro at this! Liam is merely a decent flyer.”

“Hey!”

“Oh, c’mon. Don’t lie to yourself, love. You’re only on the team this year because _there is no team._ ”

That shuts Liam up, but Nick still gets on the back of Liam’s broom, his hands wrapped tight around his waist. Louis plops down on the grass himself, peering at the two in front of him. Liam’s talking in reassuring tones, his volume too low for Louis to pick up on, but he definitely hears Nick’s ‘what do I have to do?’

“Don’t fall off!” Louis shouts after him as Liam kicks up. Nick lets go of Liam’s waist for a second to flip him off, before he immediately pulls the younger boy into a death grip again.

They spent the rest of the afternoon on the sofa, a slight greenish hue on Nick’s face and Liam rubbing his hand between Nick’s shoulder blades as he tries not to be sick.

Muggles are somehow not made for flying, apparently. 

*

The golden D.A. coin is on the table in front of him. It’d been burning in his pocket the whole morning and it had honestly got too hot to handle, the message on the coin barely readable. He’d gotten the gist though; Luna is back.

Even without the coin, he’d have heard about it pretty soon. _Potterwatch_ ’s been on ever since Anne brought them a radio down that morning to tell them there would be another broadcast on later. He doesn’t know where she got the password from, and he’s not going to ask. The woman is allowed her secrets.

It is unmistakably Luna’s voice that softly rings around the room while Louis is trying to write a letter to his mother. He tries not to get his hopes up.

_“...still no Lightning on its way, but we’re hopeful, aren’t we, Turnip?”_

Two arms wrap around Louis shoulders just as he’s about to sign off with his name, and he harrumphs a bit when the L goes particularly loopy. Bloody-

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Liam whispers. Louis kisses the arm in front of him. It’s very easy to forgive Liam with arms like that. “You wanna play some chess with Nick? The wizard one doesn’t want to listen to him but Anne brought us a Muggle one.” 

Liam’s lips are pressed against his neck and Louis nods, leaning slightly into him.

“Yeah, I’ll be over in a sec, all right?”

There’s another squeeze and then Liam’s arms are gone. Two seconds and then-

“Love you, Lou.”

River is naming all the latest victims on the airwaves, his voice strong and steady. Louis shivers.

“You too, Li. The both of you, so much.”

*

The days pass and Louis isn’t sure where they’re going but he doesn’t like it one bit. There’s three more days until they’re due back at Hogwarts and he’s contemplating just locking himself up in the basement for the foreseeable future. They might get bored -Nick is already starting to fidget more than Louis is used to, and he’s really trying to keep the other man entertained as much as he can but it’s hard when there’s only so much you _can_ do- but Louis has no doubt it will still be hundred percent better than whatever is waiting for them at Hogwarts.

They stopped listening to Potterwatch days ago.

Not listening means there’s a perfectly good radio going to waste now by just sitting on the side table, so Louis has taken it up upon himself to make sure that Nick won’t be bored once they’re gone. There must be a way to make it play Muggle radio as well.

Nick’s sitting crossed-legged in front of him, a fascinated look on his face while Louis’ got the radio in his lap, tapping it randomly with his wand. Liam had left to drink some tea with Anne five minutes ago, after Louis had started grumbling under his breath and sparks were shooting from the tip of his wand.

It’s bloody difficult.

The biggest problem is trying to make it work with the airwaves. Nick had been very helpful, explaining to him in detail how it worked, with frequencies and whatever, but honestly, it’s still very confusing. He’s sure it’s a matter of charms and spells, not so much transfiguration, not really, but he’s definitely drawing a blank on the spells. Maybe if he just tried to grab- no, that wouldn’t work.

“Anything I can do, love?” Nick’s voice snaps him out of it, and Louis smiles tightly at him.

“Unless you know the spell for this, I highly doubt it.”

Nick doesn’t flinch at his tone, and stretches one leg out to poke Louis with his toe instead. “Do you want me to fuck off for a bit?”

Louis sighs. “No, please don’t. I’m sorry.”

“’s okay. Can’t you just borrow someone else’s for a bit and copy whatever they did to it?”

“If it was that simple-“ _Someone else’s_. There’s a whole Muggle village down the hill. What if he just connected this radio-

Louis leans forward to smack a kiss against Nick’s cheek. “You’re brilliant, you. Your talents are wasted, Nicholas.”

Nick looks pleased. “Glad to be of service. So should we send Liam over to someone? You know that face will people give him whatever he wants.”

Louis shakes his head. “No, no, that’s not necessary. No one’s leaving this place, not even Liam. But I think I can-“

He fiddles with some buttons, muttering _Anexus_ under his breath with his wand pressed against the transmitter, trying to remember how the village had looked exactly when they’d walked up to Styles Mansion. It takes him a couple of tries, but then a bright-red wire shoots out of the radio. It shimmers for a second, growing increasingly brighter and then it vanishes.

“Try it,” Louis says pleased, holding the radio out.

“I’m not trying anything until you’ve tried it first,” Nick replies, crossing his arms. “I don’t even know what you did. It could explode the second I lay my hands on it.”

“Do you honestly think I’d let you touch it if it had any chance of exploding?”

Nick seems to think his answer over. “I don’t think you’d do it on purpose?” 

“I’m touching it now!” Louis says, his voice higher than usual. “See, it’s fine.”

He tosses the radio over to Nick, letting Nick no choice but to catch it before it falls in his lap. Louis grins at the glare Nick sends his way. “It could have exploded!”

“It won’t do such thing. Have a little faith in me, Nicholas. Besides, Liam’s ace at healing spells, he’d patch you right up. Now, turn it on. Let us hear.” 

Nick’s keeps glaring at him, stretching his arms out in front of him, holding the radio at a distance. He then presses the button on top, immediately fumbling with the dials when a male voice booms through the room.

_‘cause I’m counting on a new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning._

“It works!” Louis cries.

Nick’s got a smile on his face now, the radio on his lap. “How do you know? This could be literally any radio station. ‘s a tune, this one.”

Louis scoffs. “Please. ‘I’ll make a wish, send it to heaven, then make you want to cry’? It screams ‘Muggle’. Us wizards are more creative than that.”

“I like it,” Nick says with a slight pout.

“Exactly,” Louis says, standing up as he does. “Just proves my point, doesn’t it.”

Nick looks like he’s about to protest, but instead he just turns the volume up a bit more, grinning up at Louis as he does so.

 _“I’ll be your dream, I’ll be your wish, I’ll be your fantasy,_ ” Nick sings, so off-key that Louis has to hold back his cringe. He bumps into Liam on his way to the loo, whose ears immediately perk up when he hears the noise from the small living room.

“Is that Savage Garden?” he says excited. Louis was always under the impression that Liam’s music knowledge extended only as far as The Weird Sisters and The Wicked Wands. Apparently it includes Muggle bands now as well.

“I don’t know?” Louis says, smiling when Liam presses his lips against his. There’s the bitter aftertaste of coffee when Liam’s tongue meets his and he whines. He bloody hates coffee.

“Sorry,” Liam apologises with a light nibble on Louis’ bottom lip. “You got it to work then?”

“Obviously,” Louis says, rolling his eyes and slapping Liam’s hand away from where it’s trying to reach his nipple.

“Knew you could do it, Lou.” Liam walks through the door without another word, and right before he closes it behind him, Louis hears him join Nick on the next song.

This might have been his worst idea yet.

*

Nick and Liam spend the rest of the day lying in front of the radio, the carpet leaving imprints on their bare stomach and chests while they croon along to almost every song that comes on. Louis spends it pouting on the sofa, wanting attention and glaring at the back of Nick’s head.

If the radio didn’t make Nick so happy, he’d make it magically disappear overnight.

*  
Louis soon catches up on the fact that Nick’s brain might share some characteristics with that of a child. Which is why Liam’s and his Patronus are currently enjoying some pampering session while Liam and him are try to pack their trunks. It’s obvious Nick needs a distraction.

“It’s adorable,” Nick coos. Liam’s tiger cub is currently trying to climb its way up Nick’s leg as Nick scratches its chin.

“It’s not real, love,” Louis sighs, moving half the stuff from Liam’s trunk into his with a flick of his wand. The lines may have become a bit blurred over the past two years, but he’s pretty sure Liam doesn’t own bright-red jeans. Definitely not in that size, at least.

“I know,” Nick replies. “But just look at them. They’re the cutest thing ever.” Louis hedgehog is curled up in Nick’s lap, its belly exposed.

“They’re not supposed to be cute,” Liam yells from the living room. “They’re supposed to do their job.”

Nick rolls his eyes. “I’m sure they’re great at their job. What is their job, exactly?”

A pair of boots come flying through the bedroom door, and Louis barely manages to duck on time, cursing as he comes up.

“Careful, Payno!” he shouts, grabbing the boots and dropping them down in Liam’s trunk. How they even managed to get their stuff all over the place in just three weeks is a mystery to him.

“They’re protectors,” Louis explains to Nick next. “There’s these creatures, Dementors, that can suck out your soul and these things, a Patronus, can stop that from happening, I guess.”

“Your soul?”

“Hmm. They kiss you and then they just-“

“All right, enough,” Nick interrupts hastily. “I get it. Terrible stuff.”

Louis grins, lying down on the bed next to Nick as his trunk slams closed. He probably packed everything. If not, he’ll probably doesn’t need it anyway. “They can also carry messages and stuff. They’re dead useful, really.”

“So why a hedgehog?” Nick asks, tugging Louis a bit closer to he can pillow his head on Nick’s stomach.

“’s because he’s prickly, isn’t it?” Liam says, flopping down on the bed as well. “Looks cute, but can cause a lot of pain if you’re not careful.”

“Shut up, Mr Tiger Cub. Yours is basically a kitten. You couldn’t hurt someone, even if you tried.”

“Mine will grow into a full-sized tiger later, I swear. Didn’t Harry Potter say last year that it could change over time? Mine will.”

Nick hand reaches out to pet Liam’s head, jostling Louis and the hedgehog in the process. “I’m sure it will, love.”

*

They barely sleep their last night at Styles Mansion.

Liam keeps fidgeting next to him, favouring one side over another every three minutes and Nick sighs every five seconds in frustration. Louis wishes he could dose something with Sleeping Draught right now, because it’s clear they all need it. His thoughts just won’t seem to shut up.

By the time the morning comes and Anne’s been downstairs to tell them they’ll be leaving in an hour, Louis is pretty sure he maybe got some shut eye for thirty minutes. 

Tops.

*

“Behave yourself. I mean it this time, Lou. You know I meant it as a joke before, but I’m serious now. The both of you need to get home, all right? So you can’t go around doing something stupid. Promise me all right?”

Louis is trying not to cling to Nick too much, because he’s highly aware of Anne standing a few feet away from them. Liam’s already had his goodbye, his eyes slightly glassy and smiling watery at Louis when he looks his way.

“Promise, all right,” Louis replies, “as long as you do the same. Stay here. We’ll write you when we can, but you’ve gotta stay here.”

“I will,” Nick promises in return. “I’m going to stay right here, all right. I will, promise. I’ll stay here until the two of you are back.”

Louis nods against Nick’s chest. Then he unwraps himself slowly, taking a step back and shoving his hands in his back pocket as he exhales deeply. _You’ll see him again in three months. It’s fine. You’re fine._

“Love you,” he croaks, Liam’s arms now wrapped around him and slowly tugging him in the direction of the front door.

“Love you,” Liam echoes, a little smiles on his face.

Nick nods, biting his bottom lip, and with that, Louis levitates his trunk and walks out the door.

_Fine, fine, fine. It’ll all be fine. Nick promised._

*

“We're not requesting that one,” Louis hisses as he listens to the dial tone coming from the phone pressed to Liam's ear. They're squeezed into a tiny telephone booth in some dodgy street right next to King’s Cross and Louis swears that his foot is glued to the floor by a stray piece of bubblegum. It's quite squeaky. 

“He loves it,” Liam mumbles, his elbow digging painfully into Louis’s side. For some reason, Liam hadn’t forgotten the promise that Louis had made the last time they were departing from King’s Cross Station. 

“It's fucking cheesy, that is what it is. Can't we just do some Destiny’s Children instead? He probably won't even hear it.”

“We’re doing this one because it's Nick’s favourite and you love him and you want him to be happy,” Liam says with a note of finality to his voice. “Also, I left him a note telling to listen so he will hear it.”

Louis groans. Of course he did. He's about to complain a bit more -he truly does hate the song- but he knows how to pick his battles, and besides, someone has answered their call. 

He zones out a bit as Liam chats with the host, and he twirls his wand around in his hand as he waits. Liam slaps his hand down when he sees what Louis is doing and Louis glares at him

“There's no Muggles around,” Louis whispers, tapping one of the names written on the wall to make it dance around. Liam doesn't look impressed. Louis isn’t either, because so far he’s only got _unloved ass_ , and he doesn’t know what else he could spell with the remaining letters. He hopes Dustin and Anna are still in love, even though it’s not permanently etched in a phone booth anymore .

“Thank you so much!” Liam says cheerily into the receiver and then puts it back on the hook. Louis protests when Liam tugs him out of the booth, their trunks standing right outside.

Liam hums _Truly, Madly, Deeply_ until they step onto Platform 9 ¾ and normally Louis would complain, but he’s actually got quite a lovely voice and it makes him focus on something apart from the knot in his stomach.

Harry and Niall are waiting from them in a compartment, looking well-rested and excited. Louis knows he and Liam are shit friends when the both of them fall asleep right in the middle of Harry’s story about one of Niall’s cousins and a Yorkshire pudding.

*

They stop going to classes the first week in.

Louis spends six out of seven days hanging from his wrists in the dungeons, all for something that wasn’t even technically his fault. How could he have known that the tiny Ravenclaw was being hexed as a punishment, instead of a prank. He would have thought twice about stunning the other person if he had, that’s for sure.

On the seventh day of boredom and slight pain, Michael Corner sneaks in and helps him up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower. Liam immediately drags him to the left corridor of the seventh floor with a stoic face, almost shoving him through the door that appears a minute later.

The Room of Requirement looks quite different from what he’s used to from the D.A. meetings in his second fifth year; it’s a lot busier and rowdier. Liam tugs him over to one of the hammocks, pushing him down into it as he looks both relieved and pissed. Louis blinks up at him.

“Sorry if you felt-“ he trails off, looking at Liam’s tattoo. The other boy looks down at his arm, his hand coming up to splay over the tattoo.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” Liam whispers, and Louis sees the anger being replaced by concern. “We were- you can’t imagine, Lou. It was just- don’t ever do that again.”

Louis nods, wanting to defend himself that it wasn’t particularly his idea in the first place, but the thing is- he didn’t feel the pain. He’d spent the first two days unconscious and by the time he’d woken up, most of it had dulled down to just a throbbing feeling in his body. The other three however...

“I won’t, I’m sorry.” Louis knows he can’t make those promises but Liam nods, coming to sit next to him.

He tries his hardest to stay awake as Liam explains about the D.A.; about Carrow finding out; about Ginny Weasley never returning after the holidays; about Harry, Niall and him searching all over the castle to find Lottie before they all hid out in the Room. There seems to be some kind of system set in motion when it comes to the older students teaching the younger ones, and any other day he’d impressed but he’s so tired and so done with everything that he dozes off on Liam’s shoulder after five minutes.

*

They don’t come out of the Room again for next fortnight.

*

_Wide, brown eyes are trying to find his, but he doesn’t dare to make eye contact. He figures it’s easier like that. The classroom feels even colder than before, even with his red and gold scarf tightly wrapped around his neck and a double jumper. Someone clears their throat behind him, right when he takes a deep breath and raises his trembling hand in front of him._

_“Any time now, Mr Tomlinson.”_

_Louis makes the mistake to look up at that. Liam’s got his arms wrapped around himself and his eyes look pleading, his lip caught between his teeth. All Louis wants to do is take those four steps and tug him in close, but he knows that he can’t. It’d only make it worse._

_“Do you want us to show you how, Mr Tomlinson?” Amycus threatens and Louis’ heart beats in his throat. “As a little reminder? I’m sure Mr Payne won’t mind.”_

_“No, please,” Liam pleads. “Tommo, c’mon. It’s okay.”_

_It’s not okay and they both know it, but Louis nods once. “I’ll do it. Just-“_

_“Now,” Alecto growls, cutting him off._

_Louis knows it’s all about intent, about_ wanting _to hurt the other person, so he doubts that he’ll even be able to inflict much pain because there’s not a hair on his body that would actually want to hurt the other boy. Still, there’s a reason these curses are called unforgivable._

_He can’t, he shouldn’t, he doesn’t want to, but then he closes his eyes and raises his arm again. “I’m sorry. Cru-“_

He wakes up with a startled gasp, Liam looming over him with concern written in his eyes. The Room of Requirement is black around them, Liam’s wand providing a small circle of light from where it’s lying in Louis’ hammock, but Louis can hear multiple people breathe. He tries to calm his racing heart down.

“Nightmare?” Liam asks quietly, his hand coming up to touch Louis’ face. “Do you wanna- do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” He's not sure how to say it anyway. _I keep dreaming about you dying, coming home this summer and Nick being gone, keep dreaming about everyone I love being gone. About never winning this bloody war._

Louis sees Liam open his mouth, probably to protest, but it closes again and Liam nods. “All right. Wanna try to sleep some more?”

Not particularly, but there’s little else to do in the middle of the night, he figures, so he just nods. Liam carefully climbs into his hammock and for one second, Louis is afraid that they’re going to topple over. They don’t and Liam tugs him closer to his chest, raising Louis’ wrists to his face, kissing the marks that will probably never fade completely. Louis presses his thumb into Liam’s tattoo in return, a silent apology for the pain that Liam must have felt.

It only takes a minute before he’s back asleep.

*

The Battle, when it comes, comes completely out of nowhere.

One minute they’re writing an updated list of how much food to get from the Hog’s Head and talking about the future in hopeful voices -Louis still hopes he’ll get a chance to play for the Wimbourne Wasps, while Niall’s dead set on becoming a Healer, even without his N.E.W.T.S.; the next minute Neville walks in with the Golden Trio.

“Look who it is! Didn’t I tell you?” Neville shouts, climbing through the portrait of some unknown wizard.

Louis blinks. Then, he blinks again. It’s still very much Harry Potter standing there. In the Room of Requirement. Looking very much alive.

There’s a loud explosion of noise all around them, exclamations of joy and relief. Louis reaches out behind him, pinching Niall in his arm. Immediately, his tattoo throbs and nope. Apparently he’s not dreaming.

“No,” moans Harry softly next to him, his voice almost lost in the loud sea of noise.

“What?” Liam yells, face excited and eyes big. “It’s Harry! He’s back!”

Harry pouts. “But I liked being the only Harry this year. It made it so much easier.”

Niall pats him on the back, sympathetic look on his face. “There, there. You’ll be fine, babe.”

“OK, OK, calm down!” Neville’s voice rings through the room and suddenly, the room goes quiet. The conversation that follows between Neville and the Golden Trio goes right over Louis’ head, because he still can’t actually believe it. Harry Potter is here. At Hogwarts.

A tiny spark of hope starts at the bottom of his stomach.

That is, until Harry Potter almost faints in the middle of the room, face pale and sweating. Ron Weasley barely manages to catch him, but Louis doesn’t find it very reassuring that Harry Potter almost went down.

If the Chosen One can’t even manage to stay on his two feet, who’s to say the rest of them can?

The next two minutes Louis watches the four in the middle of the room bicker like it’s a Quidditch match. Apparently Harry Potter is looking for something but refusing help. It’s all very confusing, but Neville seems quite persistent that all of them can help.

“Everyone in this Room’s been fighting and they’ve been driven in here because the Carrows were hunting them down. Everyone in here’s proven they’re loyal to Dumbledore- loyal to you.”

Louis tries not to laugh at the ‘amen!’ Niall mumbles behind him. Turns out, it doesn’t really matter if he does or does not laugh, because the next second the whole room gasps again as Luna and Dean step through the portrait as well. That’s not the end of that though, because Fred, George and Ginny Weasley, Lee Jordan, and Cho Chang step out as well.

Louis stares as Liam waves at Dean.

“So what’s the plan, Harry?” George Weasley asks and Louis nods in agreement. He’d very much like to hear the plan by now, because he’s ready for whatever it is. He tunes out when an argument starts, instead focussing on Liam next to him, pressing his hand against the other boy’s lower back.

Liam looks just as excited as he feels and Louis grins at him. “You ready?”

He doesn’t know particularly what for, but the general consensus in the room seems to be that they’re gearing up for a fight. _Fucking finally._

“More than ready,” Liam replies, kissing his temple.

“OK,” Harry Potter’s voice rings through the room. “There’s something we need to find. Something- something that’ll help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It’s here at Hogwarts, but we don’t know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?”

Everyone cranes their heads to look at the Ravenclaws. Then-

“Well, there’s her lost diadem...”

*

“I need you all to promise me that you won’t get yourselves killed.” Niall sounds dead serious, turning his head to look at all four of them huddled together in a little circle. “I’d ask you not to get involved at all, but we all know no one would listen to me anyway. So please just... try and stay alive? For me, please?”

“You know we don’t care if you wanted to stay here, right? We would understand,” Liam says quietly, his hand reaching around Harry to squeeze Niall’s neck.

“Fuck you, Payno” Niall hisses. “I might not be a Gryffindor, but I’m not a fucking coward.”

“’s not what I meant,” Liam mumbles.

“Niall knows you meant well, right Niall?” Louis says with a glare at the blonde boy.

“Right,” Niall sighs. “So how are we gonna do this?”

After Harry Potter had come back into the Room of Requirement from wherever he’d been and said that everyone was meeting in the Great Hall to get organised for a fight, the four of them had gravitated towards eachother, a pleading look on Niall’s face. Niall hadn’t particularly liked the idea of splitting up, but Louis also knows Niall isn’t one for fighting. He also doesn’t have a tattoo, so keeping close to Liam will make sure knows exactly how the other boys are doing. 

That’s the plan, at least.

“You and Liam go to the Great Hall and help the teachers with evacuating the young ones. Get them all out safe. If they want to stay and fight, fine, but only if they’re of age.”

“You’re not even-“

“ _And we’re gonna keep quiet about that,_ ” Harry hisses, Liam immediately nodding.

Niall’s fingers are pressed against Louis’ shoulder blades. “What are you and Louis going to do?”

“We’re going to the Great Hall and we’ll fight,” Harry grins and oh- there’s the Slytherin in him, Louis realises. The only reason he’s going with Harry and not Liam is because they all know he’d throw himself in front of Liam a million times if he had to and they’re all planning on getting out of here unscathed.

Hopefully, they’ll manage to do exactly that.

Right before they leave the Room of Requirement, Louis manages to get a moment with Harry -Potter, that is-, grabbing his arm and tugging him off to the sides a bit. Harry looks tired and haggard and Louis has heard the stories through Potterwatch, but he can’t imagine what he must have been through.

“You alright? Louis asks, looking him straight in the eye.

“I will be,” Harry replies and it’s not exactly the answer Louis was looking for but it’ll do, he supposes. 

“We’ve missed you, mate. Dorm wasn’t the same without you, Ron and Dean.” 

Harry looks actually touched at that. “We’ll have to see if we can all get together sometime after this. It’d be nice to catch up.”

“Yeah, we should,” Louis replies. Once this whole thing is over, they could all get together and have some Butterbeers and talk about something that’s not as miserable as the past couple of months. He’d be down for that.

But first, there’s a war to win.

*

All the tables in the Great Hall are pushed back against the wall, with McGonagall standing in the middle of the room. She looks calm and collected and Louis is glad that at least someone seems to have a clue what they’re doing. 

His own wand is shaking in his hand.

“We have already placed protection around the castle, but it’s unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects-“

A high and clear voice interrupts her, ringing through the Great Hall and sending chills all over Louis body. He doesn’t even care that he’s basically crushing Harry’s arm beneath his hand, with the way he squeezes it tight.

“I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood.”

Harry snorts next to him and Louis elbows him in the side. Now is not the time.

“Give me Harry Potter,” the voice rings out again, “and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight.”

Louis tries not to look at Harry Potter, standing only a few feet away from them, but it’s bloody hard. Everyone else in the room doesn’t seem to feel the same, almost glaring at the man. When McGonagall directs the Slytherin to leave the Great Hall first after Pansy’s outburst, and he catches Lottie’s eye as she passes him.

She looks fucking terrified, her hand clutching one of her friend’s and Louis smiles reassuringly at her. Lottie shakes her head at him, a silent plea for him not to do what he’s about to do, but Louis nods back at her. There is absolutely no way he’s sitting this one out.

When McGonagall orders the Ravenclaws next, Louis tugs Liam close to him by the back of his robes.

“You be fucking careful, all right?” he whispers harshly. “Don’t you fucking do anything stupid, Payne. Do whatever you have to do to stay alive. We’re both going back to Nick, you hear me?”

Liam stares at him with wide eyes, but then nods. “I love you so fucking much. Please don’t die, yeah?”

Louis swallows back the itchy feeling in his throat. Now is not the time to start crying. “I won’t. Now, get out of here. Stick with Niall.”

Louis hears Niall whispering furiously to Harry next to him as well, and with one last kiss -Liam’s lips warm and steady against his- he pushes him off. Niall joins him a few seconds later, and Louis and Harry watch as the other two usher the under-aged out of the Great Hall.

Harry stays suspiciously close to Louis’ back.

Kingsley Shacklebolt steps forward next and Louis tries to pay attention to what he’s saying instead of to his heart that feels like it’s slightly breaking.

“We’ve only got an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest Towers -Ravenclaw, Astronomy and Gryffindor- where they’ll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Remus, Arthur and I will take groups into the grounds.”

“How much would you hate me if I said that I don’t want to be on the grounds?” Harry whispers in his ear, his voice tight.

“We can go to the towers,” he says, not answering Harry’s question. He has a feeling that he knows why Harry wants to get as far away from the actual battle while still fighting. Even Harry wouldn’t have it in him to hex his own dad, probably.

They join Professor Sprout and the rest of the small group that has assembled. Neville is one of the, looking determined and not scared in the least. Louis wishes he had that mindset.

“Let’s go to the greenhouse,” Professor Sprout says and Louis follows her, throwing a look over his shoulder to take one last look at the Great Hall, before it undoubtedly changes forever.

*

If you’d told Louis two hours ago that he’d spend part of the fight with earmuffs on his head and throwing Mandrakes over the walls of the Astronomy Tower, he’s pretty sure he would’ve scoffed. 

There are red and green flashes flying everywhere, the castle shaking beneath their feet as it’s being hit over and over again by what Louis can only imagine are terrible curses. They’re slowly running out of Mandrakes, and Louis doesn’t know if it’s even helping. Sure, there’s people falling right and left, but who’s to say those are not losses on their side? The Death Eater masks are hard to see from up the tower.

Harry’s crouched down by his feet, his _Protego_ shielding Louis from the curses that are flying their way. A seventh-year Hufflepuff is lying dead at his feet, hit by a killing curse that no one was able to protect her from, _and Louis hadn’t even known her name._ It makes him feel sick to his stomach.

The thing that keeps him grounded, though, is the fact that Liam’s and Niall’s arrows on his tattoo are still pointed to ‘safe’. As long as they’re all right, he’s all right.

Someone taps him on the shoulder and Louis takes his earmuffs off with a wince when a Mandrake almost deafens him.

“Watch out, there’s spiders coming!” Neville yells a few feet away from him and Louis immediately drops the Mandrake he’s got in his hands, tugging Harry up from the floor instead and casting Stunning Spells as soon as the first sign of a black leg appears over the wall.

“I fucking hate spiders,” Harry says next to him, voice rough. His hair is all tangled up, a right mess instead of the tousled look he usually goes for. Louis huffs in reply.

“I think that’s kinda the idea, mate.”

Harry shrugs. “Still.”

There’s screams and explosions coming from inside the castle and Louis shudders at the idea that they’ll have to walk down those steps later. _If they win._

The fact that there’s now an actual real, breathing _giant_ making its way to the castle with Dementors following behind him is slowly crushing his hopes of that happening.

With the next flick of his wand, a tiny transparent hedgehog is hovering in the air in front of him. Next to him, Harry seems to have more trouble.

“C’mon, you fucking-“ he cries. “ _Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum_.”

“H, mate, c’mon. Happy thoughts, yeah?” Harry nods at him, tears in his eyes. “You’ve done this before. Just- happy memories.”

The other boy manages on the next try, a silver eagle bursting into the air. It’s about five times the size of Louis’ hedgehog and he tries not to be too bitter about it. Size doesn’t matter.

The Patronuses all go off in the direction of the Dementors, slowly making them disappear. Louis hadn’t actually watched them do their job before, but now he can’t help stare in amazement. It truly is magnificent.

“I’m going down,” a seventh year Ravenclaw suddenly exclaims next to him, and Neville nods in agreement. Professor Sprout opens her mouth in protest.

“Boys-“

“No, there’s not much else we can do from up here,” Neville says. “I need to fight.”

With that, he rushes out of the door, several people following him with a determined looked on their face. There’s only six of them left, including Harry, Professor Sprout and him, and he looks at the younger boy. Harry shakes his head.

“I can’t,” he whispers. “What if my dad’s there? What if he’s there, Lou? _What if he’s dead?”_

“I... we-“ Louis doesn’t quite know what to reply. Des Styles is very much a Death Eater. Louis is of the opinion that the man deserves to go through _hell_ tonight for everything he’s ever done but he can’t really tell his best friend that, can he?

“He’s my dad.”

“He’s a Death Eater,” Louis hisses back, throwing another Stunning Spell at a lost spider that comes crawling over the wall. The look on Harry’s face almost breaks him.

“I’m sorry,” he sighs. “I don’t even- I know it must be hard, yeah? But we can’t just hide up here forever.”

“I don’t want to see _him-_ “ Harry sobs, sniffling his way through a _Wingardium Leviosa_.

“You know I can’t promise you that,” Louis says. Everyone else has seem to left the tower by now, Professor Sprout holding the door open with a questioning look on her face. Louis shakes his head. “Look. I’ll promise you- I’ll Obliviate you if that happens, yeah? I’ll find someone who can and you won’t ever have to remember that. But we gotta go downstairs, H. We gotta fight.”

Harry doesn’t get a chance to reply.

“You have fought valiantly,” booms the voice that Louis now realises is You-Know-Who. “Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have also sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately.”

Louis raises his eyebrows in confusion at that. Retreat?

“You have one hour. Dispose of you dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.”

Harry breathes in sharply next to him, tugging on the fabric of Louis’ jumper. “Let’s go.”

*

Niall can’t stop to seem sobbing in Harry’s arms. Louis is pretty sure Liam is the next one who will break, since he hasn’t said a word yet, choosing to kiss Louis like his life depends on it instead..

They’re all back in the Great Hall again, the bodies of the fallen littered around them and Louis doesn’t want to ignore it, doesn’t want to pretend that everything is peachy, but facing the reality of what had happened feels like it would take too much energy.

Harry and he had almost bumped into Niall and Liam as they’d made their way back down, Liam’s voice high pitched as he’d thrown his arms around Louis’ shoulder.

Now, they’re waiting.

Louis doesn’t know what for. He’s exhausted and he wants to sleep, even with all the adrenalin coursing through him. They’re waiting, and all he knows is that there’s a fat chance that Harry Potter will sacrifice himself before dawn breaks.

The whole Wizarding World needs him.

*

Louis might have overestimated Harry Potter a bit, if he has to believe You-Know-Who. Not that the man is very trustworthy, but still...

“Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.”

It’s dead quiet in the Great Hall.

“The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.”

_Like hell they will._

*

Harry Potter is lying dead in the grass and Neville Longbottom is on fire.

Louis isn’t sure where it went wrong, but they somehow fucked up massively.

He’s standing back-to-back with Liam, Niall and Harry, while Harry’s muttering in between hexes about how he’s never going to be able to pet a unicorn again, now that he’s killed people and his innocence is lost. Louis doesn’t want to ruin it for him, but he’s pretty sure Harry stopped being able to pet unicorns after he’d shagged Niall behind the portrait of Gary the Wise on the third floor in his fourth year.

From the corner of his eye he catches Neville slicing off the head of the great snake that’s been slithering around, and people start to scream even louder. You-Know-Who seems to be paralysed where he’s standing and Louis is confused because why is Hagrid suddenly asking where Harry Potter is? He’s right there-

He’s gone.

They all get driven into the Great Hall, curses flying past their ears and Louis doesn’t understand- where’s Harry Potter?

Liam’s grip on his hand is painful but it grounds him and Louis takes a few deep breaths before shouting out the next couple of curses. It hits a Death Eater right in his chest and the man crumples before him. Louis breathes out.

It’s a madhouse inside the Great Hall. There’s students, adults, professors, house-elves, centaurs, and the number of Death Eaters seems to be dropping by the second. You-Know-Who is duelling McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley all at once and Louis would love to help, but he doubts his magic is strong enough to defeat the Dark Lord. Another time, maybe.

Harry Potter seems to think differently though.

Suddenly he’s there again, pretty much looking alive, and Louis doesn’t know whether to cry or laugh so he just stays perfectly still and quiet.

“I don’t want anyone else to try to help,” Harry Potter’s voice rings through the room. “It’s got to be like this. It’s got to be me.”

Louis huddles closer to the other three boys at that, his wand arm lowering slightly. Liam slips in under his right shoulder, pressed closed to his side and Harry’s squeezed in between Louis and Niall, nervously biting his thumb nail.

The battle that follows is hard to grasp. There’s a lot of talking that Louis doesn’t understand -Horcruxes and love and something about an elderly wand, whatever that might be- and not a whole lot of fighting. Still, when the inevitable _Avada Kedavra_ flies through the hall, Louis closes his eyes.

It’s not for long though, because next thing he knows, Liam is whooping next to him and punching him in the shoulder.

“He fucking did it!”

When Louis opens his eyes, You-Know-Who is dead on the floor and even Harry Potter looks surprised at the two wands in his hand.

“He fucking did it, Lou!”

Louis stumbles as Liam jumps in his arms, his legs tight around Louis’ waist. He almost balks under the pressure, but then there’s Niall pressed against his back and Harry against his side and he manages to stay up.

 _He’s dead_ , Louis thinks amazed. _It’s over._

He sob-laughs into Liam’s neck, squeezing the other boy closer. It’s fucking over. You-Know-Who is gone, and most of the Death Eaters are either dead or will be sentenced and it’s over. They’re all safe.

Nick’s safe.

*

They’re all allowed to go home the next day.

They spend most of their time grieving and remembering, the faces of the death still there whenever Louis closes his eyes. Harry seems to be having a tough time, with his dad being officially pronounced dead by the Aurors. He’d sobbed into Niall’s shirt for an hour when the four of them had been allowed to view his body yesterday in some chamber next to the Great Hall, and Louis had felt hopeless with his hand stroking Harry’s curls but not being able to say anything uplifting.

Louis had kept his promise, reminding Harry that he could find him someone that could make him forget his dad -whether that’s completely or just how his body was sprawled out on the floor- but Harry had shaken his head, saying he was fine.

Harry still doesn’t look quite fine at the end of the day, but at least he’s smiling as the four of them and Lottie make their way through Hogsmead. McGonagall had given everyone permission to Apparate from there, and Louis is not waiting another long train journey to get back to London.

“I can’t believe we’re going home. It’s over,” Niall says next to him, hand tightly in Harry’s.

“I miss Mum.” Lottie says softly. Louis tugs on her ponytail.

“We’ll go straight home, all right?”

Straight home, and then straight to Nick’s.

*

Jay sobs for over half an hour as Louis pats her back, reassuring her that he’s fine; that they’re all fine.

She doesn’t want to let him go -quite understandably, really- but after the sixth pleading look, she sighs and waves him off.

“Tell Nick he should come over soon, all right? I would love to see the love again.”

*

For some weird, unexplainable reason, he’s nervous and he doesn’t dare to push the buzzer to Nick’s flat.

Liam won’t do it either, the twat.

“Just push the button!” Liam whines. He’d apparated in the alleyway behind Nick’s building ten minutes after Louis had, muttering something about his mum and ‘on me like a Sticking Charm’. Louis is just glad that the owl he’d sent his way after Anne had told him Nick was already back home in his own flat hadn’t been too late.

“You push the button,” Louis huffs, for the third time.

“How about no one pushes the button and you two just come in?” Nick voice drawls and when Louis looks back at the door, it’s open and Nick’s leaning against the wall.

Louis grins at him. “That’d work, ta.”

He presses a kiss to Nick’s cheek and he walks past him, standing on his tippy toes to reach him. Nick definitely wasn’t this tall the last time they’d seen him. Liam smacks him full on the lips when he gets to Nick and Louis rolls his eyes.

“Do you two want anything? A cuppa? A biscuit? I could even do some toast, if you want?”

Louis stares at him from the sofa, noticing the way that Nick is fidgeting his fingers. “I want you to come sit with us...” Louis says carefully.

Liam nods in agreement. “Please, Nick.”

Nick looks unsure from where he’s standing, his eyes darting over the two of them on the sofa a couple of times before he sits down in between them. Louis immediately cuddles closer to him, tucking himself under Nick’s arm. The smell of cigarette smoke is heavy but Louis still breathes him in.

“What’s this about then?” he asks quietly. He feels Nick shrug.

“I don’t know,” Nick mutters. “I just- Anne told me a bit? About what happened? And you guys have been through so much the past couple of days and I don’t think I know how to... deal with that? Like, you’ve been to war. That’s terrifying.”

“It is,” Liam replies, voice gentle. “But we’re okay, love. We’re both completely fine. Not a scratch, I promise.”

Louis tugs the sleeves of his shirt a little bit lower, covering his wrist. Liam seems to catch his movement, his brows furrowing. 

“I’m so glad the two of you are back,” Nick whispers against Louis’ head.

“Ditto.” Louis says around a yawn. “Now, all this talk about tea and biscuits is quite nice, but I could actually go for some sleep now.”

“Me too. I’m exhausted. Sorry.”

Nick pulls the both of them off the sofa, his arms wrapping about the both of them as soon as they stand. With a little shove in his back, Louis is pushed in the direction of where he knows the bedroom is.

“Off to bed then,” Nick says. “You deserve some sleep, I think.”

Liam vanishes their clothes as soon as the bedroom door shuts behind him, putting his wand on the nightstand once they’re all in their pants. Nick blinks down at his undressed state, then shrugs.

“You two all right?” he asks as they’re settled in, Louis squished between the two of them. The bed is slightly too small, but he’s never minded.

“Perfect,” he mumbles into Liam’s skin and he feels Liam hums in agreement.

“Never been better.”

It’s the best night’s sleep he’s ever had.

*

In midst of all the breakdowns and the nightmares and the crying, life is actually pretty all right, Louis thinks. He gets to spend his afternoons and evenings with his mum and sisters and his mornings and nights with his boyfriends. He gets to watch Liam and Nick explore each other’s bodies all over again, tucked under soft covers with some nice warm socks on. He gets to make breakfast every single morning for the two of them, laughing in delight as Nick tells the most ridiculous stories about his job now that he’s returned. He gets to have the two of them all to himself, without anyone saying he can’t.

He also gets to see Liam’s wide eyes as he reads the letter he’s holding, perched on the arm of the sofa with Nick’s hand rubbing his knee in comfort.

“Lou,” Liam breathes and Louis makes a high squeaky noise in reply. “Lou, they want me-“

Louis knows exactly what they want, because he’s holding the exact same letter in his hand. Only, it doesn’t mean the same thing to him.

“They want you what?” Nick asks curiously, peering over Liam’s arm to read the letter. “What’s an Auror?”

Liam lets out another noise at that. Louis doesn’t think he’s able to do much explaining now, so he takes a few steps closer.

“It’s like the Wizard police,” Louis explains, Nick nodding in understanding.

“They’re saying I can- without my N.E.W.T.S.-“ 

“I know, love,” Louis shushes him when Liam starts to breathe heavily. “I know. Want to write him back immediately?”

He’ll go home and grab his owl if Liam needs him to.

Liam’s head snaps up. “No! No, no, no. I can’t just- I didn’t even finish my N.E.W.T.S. I can’t- I’m not sure I can after-“

“I’m sorry, but can someone please explain what’s going on? What’s with the wizard police? Why’s Liam crying?”

Louis squats down in front of Liam, grabbing the letter from his hands and carefully rolling it up before putting it to the side. “It’s a letter from the Minister of Magic,” Louis explains. “It says that if Liam wants, he can become an Auror without the usual difficult qualifications if he chooses to. Sort of a reward for our services in the war, I think. We didn’t really finish our exams, so it’d mean he doesn’t have to go back to school to retake the year or his exams.”

Nick hums. “That sounds lovely.”

Lovely doesn’t even cover it, Louis thinks. “It’s been his dream for ages now, hasn’t it, love?”

Liam nods, mutely, and Nick lights up at that. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“I don’t know if I wanna take it,” Liam mumbles.

“Nonsense,” Nick huffs. “I’ll bloody write to him if you don’t.”

There’s not a doubt in Louis’ mind that Nick actually will.

“Did you get one too?” Liam seems to have caught up that Louis is holding a letter in his hand as well. Louis shrugs.

“Yeah, but I don’t want it.”

Nick opens his mouth to protest. “Louis-“

“No, it’s all right,” Louis explains. “It’s not for me. Never wanted to be an Auror.”

He’s also not sure if he’s going back to Hogwarts to retake the year though, because retaking one year was all right, retaking two is a bit too much. He doesn’t want to be bloody twenty by the time he’s done at Hogwarts.

“What do you want to do then?” Nick asks, his hand coming up to fiddle with Louis’ fringe.

“Quidditch,” Louis replies easily. “I want to play Quidditch. Professionally. I think I’m going to see if any clubs are doing try-outs next season. Until then, I think I’m just gonna take it easy and practice a bit more. Spend some more time with my favourite boys.”

“That’s what you want?” Nick asks.

“That’s what I want.”

He lets himself be tugged off the floor and onto Nick’s lap, leaning into Liam as he does so.

The future might be so uncertain that even a proper Seer couldn’t make any sense of it. He doesn’t know if there will ever come a time where he doesn’t wake up with his heart in his throat, a thin layer of sweat covering his body, or if there will ever be a time where his heart doesn’t skip a beat when the compass on his body shows anything but ‘safe’. He doesn’t know if they’ll ever be completely back to how they were before, bright-eyed and going through life without fear of consequences.

Right now, though... 

Right now Louis has never felt more alive and safe and secure, with his two boys close and the promise of better times ahead.

Whatever the world throws at him next, he can take it.


End file.
